


As Long As You're With Me

by NoirWolf5



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, BAMF Harry Potter, BAMF Hermione Granger, Blood and Violence, Dark, Explicit Language, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Murder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Serious Injuries, Survivor Guilt, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:06:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 28
Words: 283,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24709576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoirWolf5/pseuds/NoirWolf5
Summary: The end of Harry's third year brings many changes to his life, with the knowledge that Voldemort's after him and his feelings for his best friend changing, how will Harry deal with the new challenges he will be facing? Series re-write starting from the end of the third year all the way to the final confrontation with Voldemort.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Harry Potter
Comments: 423
Kudos: 652





	1. His Best Friend

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfiction could not have been possible without the outstanding work of my alpha Aani.
> 
> Thank you for the hundreds of hours of effort on planning, editing, and just dealing with me. I could not have found a better beta or an even better friend than you, Aani, and if this fanfiction is any good, it's because of you.
> 
> Thank you so much for everything you have done for me, I will always appreciate it more than you can ever know.
> 
> I dedicate this to you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update 13/07/2020: I removed a lot of unnecessary swearing since I got a lot of complaints about it. Characters will only swear if they are really angry or are in a life or death situation and won’t be used in normal conversations like I planned in the beginning. I hope most of you are happy with this and that the swearing doesn’t turn people off as I have seen in the comments and reviews.

It was still dark when Harry woke up, but as tired as he was from his Astronomy exam the night before, he didn't want to go back to sleep. Knowing the rest of the boys that shared his room at the tower of Gryffindor, he would be the only one awake for a long time, especially considering their exam from last night. Harry always hated Astronomy, he didn't see any use for the subject. It wouldn't help him learn any magic and the only subject Astronomy could help with was Divination, and Harry hated Divination way more than Astronomy, something he didn't think possible only a year ago.

But at this point, he was sure that Divination had overtaken Astronomy for the worst class he was taking. He didn't even know why he chose it. Well, he knew, but it definitely wasn't worth the hassle of being a free O.W.L if every class he had ended with his death being prophesied. At this point it was worth putting the minimum amount of effort in another class just to be free of Divination, he knew he could do it, he was sure that if he applied himself he could get an Outstanding in any class.

It wasn't that Harry didn't enjoy the subjects, he was fascinated with most of them and loved learning new things about magic constantly, he even liked Potions, a class where he's constantly targeted by Snape due to the hatred he has for his father. But the amount of work the professors usually gave them made it very hard for him to enjoy the classes, especially when just paying attention in class usually guaranteed him an Acceptable and in some cases an Exceeds Expectations, so he didn't put much effort into his homework or studying sessions.

Harry was what some people could consider smart but lazy, when he put his mind into something, he usually got it done rather perfectly. He proved that by learning the Patronus charm when he was 13 years old, and that's a N.E.W.T. level charm that even most adults can't do. And it's not like he had many happy memories to work with, everything he went through with the Dursleys, his confrontation with Voldemort in his first year, his fight against the basilisk during his second year, and the near-death experience that accompanied it were just a few examples of his not so happy memories, but he made do with what he had and was rather proud of himself that he was able to do it. Especially when he cast it while in the middle of a Quidditch game and without losing sight of the snitch in the process.

Today was the last day of exams and with that came the feeling of melancholy as usual

On one hand, he was happy that exams would be over and he didn't have to work anymore. He could spend the rest of his days at Hogwarts with his 2 best friends and enjoy the wonders of Hogwarts without his piles of homework.

On the other hand that meant that there were only 4 days before he would have to return to the dump called Number 4 Privet Drive. He honestly wasn't up to another summer filled with chores and the loneliness that accompanied being away from the wizarding world, from Ron and Hermione, his best friends, the only two people in the world Harry was sure that cared about him.

Knowing that he had his Divination exam today, Harry didn't even bother with a quick review of the subject. The best thing he could do is go ahead and predict his gruesome death in front of Trelawney and he would probably get an Outstanding. So he went and showered quickly before anyone else woke up. He loved taking long hot showers, they would help him relax and prepare him for the rest of the day.

After showering and changing he went to the common room where he knew he would find Hermione, probably studying for Ancient Runes or Arithmancy. And just as he predicted there she was, still in her nightgown with a large tome of Ancient Runes, _Maybe I won't do too bad in my Divination exam after all_ Harry thought to himself and chuckled inwardly.

"You do know you can take a small twenty-minute break to sleep once every couple of months, don't you?" Harry said cheekily at Hermione who continued to stare at her book but Harry was sure she was tempted to glare at him.

These days Hermione could explode by any little inconvenience, to say that the stress of finals had reached her would be a considerable understatement.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny Potter. I'm dying of laughter over here." Hermione retorted without looking away from her reading.

"Well I haven't heard you laugh since before Christmas, so maybe you just lost the ability altogether." Harry teased her.

But it was true, ever since Harry and Ron abandoned her for the better part of 3 months because she turned in his firebolt to McGonagall Harry hadn't heard Hermione laugh, and the only time he saw her smile was when the trio finally became friends again. He didn't like seeing her like this, she looked exhausted, she had deep black bags under her eyes that betrayed her lack of sleep, and the constant frown on her face showed how much she's having trouble with keeping up with her heavy course load.

He missed his best friend who, while was always studying and working, always laughed and smiled at him. He was really regretting being horrible to her earlier in the year and was sure he'd find a way to make it up to her. After all, she was more important than any broomstick and he didn't want to throw away his friendship with her for such a stupid fight, she deserved better than the way they treated her during the year.

"I do laugh, I've just been busy with all the homework and exams. And if you **must** know, I slept earlier here in the common room but woke up half an hour ago." Hermione said in her usual matter-of-factly way that Harry always loved. "Anyways, what are you doing up, it's barely 7:30. I would have thought you would be sleeping after last night's Astronomy exam."

"I've been up for hours, Hermione. I couldn't really sleep."

Hermione stared at him with concern in her eyes but Harry didn't see her, for he was looking at her Ancient Runes book. He was about to mention to Hermione that it looked fairly interesting but Hermione talked before he could.

"Why couldn't you sleep, Harry?" Hermione asked with the concern in her voice that she used exclusively for Harry.

Harry always loved to hear that concern in her voice, nobody had ever really worried about Harry as much as Hermione had, and it was something that he always loved about her. How she always made time for her friends and often prioritized them over her schoolwork. Something that Harry was sure Hermione would deny, but he knew it to be true.

"No reason," Harry answered nonchalantly.

He didn't want her to know about his fears of having to go back to the Dursleys, or about how lonely he always felt during the summer. "Now, back to you, what you need is a big breakfast and a quick break from all the studying you've been doing. Come on." Harry stood up and started to walk towards the portrait hole.

"Harry no, I'm not going with you, I'm staying here to study." Hermione pouted but Harry knew better. He knew if he just continued down to the Great Hall, Hermione would follow him. _She always did_ Harry thought fondly.

"Whatever you say," Harry said absentmindedly.

Harry walked from Gryffindor Tower all the way to the Great Hall and was surprised that there was a relatively large number of people awake and having breakfast at this early hour, with most of them also studying for their respective exams. It made the Great Hall uncommonly quiet.

As he took his seat at the Gryffindor table Harry began to wonder if he was wrong about Hermione, he really thought she'd follow him even if she wanted to stay and study. But his question was answered 15 minutes later when he heard the sound of running from outside.

Then a recently showered and robed Hermione stepped into the Great Hall and began walking towards Harry while sporting a glare on her face. When she huffed and sat down Harry couldn't help but tease her.

"What happened with _I'm not going, I'm staying here to study_ ," Harry teased with his best Hermione impression.

"I don't speak like that, and you forced my hand by leaving the common room." Hermione pouted and Harry just laughed, she was so cute when she pouted.

Hermione glared at him for laughing at that just made it worse. Harry ended up laughing for a full minute before calming down.

"Well, for a second I thought you were going to abandon me here after you didn't show up while I was making my way to the Great Hall."

Hermione huffed. "Well I wasn't coming down in my nighty now was I? That would've been a really stupid thing for me to do."

Then, she pulled out her large Ancient Runes book and Harry thought this would be the perfect opportunity to see what Ancient Runes was all about and at the same time make Hermione take a break for what most likely was the first time during the whole year.

"What do you think you're doing?" Harry asked Hermione but before she could answer him Harry took the book from her hands and put it in his lap under the table, that way Hermione wouldn't be able to take it back the same way Harry did, for Harry knew what Hermione was capable of when someone to away her precious books, but at the same time, he was sure she wouldn't cause a scene in the Great Hall. "I thought I told you that you needed a break from studying to have some food before going to your exam."

"I can read and eat at the same time Harry, besides, it's not like you're going to read it so just give it to me so that I can get back to studying."

"As a matter of fact, I am going to read it, if that's what it takes to get you to take a break then I'll gladly read it," Harry responded, he didn't want to let Hermione know he was interested in Ancient Runes, he would never hear the end of it, especially since she recommended him to sign up for Ancient Runes instead of Divination.

He wouldn't give her the satisfaction. Hermione huffed and grabbed a plate while Harry opened the book in his lap and started reading it. Immediately he was engrossed in the reading, Harry found the subject very useful and incredibly interesting with a huge potential to use it to learn more magic. While translating runes was not something Harry would be completely fond of doing, he wouldn't mind it. He was interested in how runes were used to read and potentially learn about old forgotten magic, but the aspect that caught his attention the most was the defense and attack runes.

Harry loved Defense Against The Dark Arts and the fact the Runes had a connection to DADA and other branches of magic was the aspect that made Harry fall in love with Ancient Runes. He couldn't believe that he wasted his time with Divination while he could have studied Ancient Runes, and the thought of having one more class with Hermione would be something he found himself enjoying but for whatever reason he couldn't put his finger on the reason.

* * *

While Harry kept reading the large tome, Hermione didn't fail to notice how Harry seemed to be really interested in the book. She had tried to start a conversation with him because she thought that him reading her Ancient Runes book was an excuse so that she would eat her breakfast without reading, but after the third time, he didn't answer she knew that Harry was reading the book. Actually _reading_ , not like when he just stared at the book and drifted to his thoughts and pretended to read like he often did while she tried to force him to study.

Hermione knew about Harry's great potential, but she often saw how little he cared about his school work and the fact that Harry was reading an academic book out of pleasure instead of a necessity was something she thought was so unlike Harry, it was like watching Snape be nice to a Gryffindor.

When she finished breakfast she just watched Harry read, she liked this new side of Harry that he'd never showed her before. But when 5 minutes passed and he still kept reading the book and was wasting her precious study time hours before her final exam, she became a little annoyed.

"As much as you're enjoying my book, I really do need to keep studying Harry," Hermione said a bit louder and a little harsher than she probably should have, but she thought this was the only way to break Harry out of his trance.

And she was right, Harry practically jumped when he heard her voice and then blushed a little before giving her her book back. "Sorry," was all he could say before he started grabbing some food and began eating it.

Hermione tried to get back to studying but she couldn't shake Harry's unusual behaviour. First, he teased her all morning, something he usually never did. Then he began to force her to take a break from studying and made her eat breakfast.

In their relationship, Harry usually didn't pay much attention to what Hermione was doing or how she was feeling, but she could tell Harry knew just how tired she felt and was making an effort to help her. She was usually the one that tried to help him, but she quite liked that Harry began to be concerned about how she was doing, she couldn't put a finger on what she was feeling but she knew she didn't want him to stop. And there he was just now, reading a book about a subject that he didn't even have.

Something had definitely changed with Harry, but right now was not the time to think about that, she pushed all thoughts that were not related to Ancient Runes to the back of her head and began reading. She didn't know for how long but she was pulled out of her reading when Harry threw a piece of bacon at her head.

"Oi! Exams start in 15 minutes, come on let's go," Harry said in a somewhat rushed tone.

Hermione started to panic, how could exams start in 15 minutes, it had been about 8:00 am when she started reading and her exam wasn't until 11:00 am, but then she looked up at the Great Hall, it was almost full, with most people packing their school bags to go to their exams, she saw Ron and Harry also packing their things in their respective bags and she began to panic more. She was about to be late for her exam. She quickly began packing her things while she snapped at Harry.

"Why didn't you warn me before, I'm going to be late to my Ancient Runes exam, I should have been there ages ago."

"Sorry Hermione, I got a bit umm… distracted. I'm sure that you'll get there in time."

Hermione huffed and started to walk with haste towards the door of the Great Hall when she heard Harry jogging towards her and then reached for her arm.

"Good luck Hermione, you'll do great." Harry beamed at her and Hermione began to blush.

"Thanks, Harry. Good luck on Divination as well," said Hermione before she started jogging towards the Ancient Runes classroom.

While she was making her way there she couldn't stop thinking about Harry, he was acting really weird, not in a bad way, it was a good change in her book, but she was extremely curious about his sudden behaviour change. She reached the Ancient Runes classroom with two minutes to spare and she began scolding herself for not being focused on her Ancient Runes exam. She began reciting everything she could remember about the subject while she waited for Professor Babbling.

The Ancient Runes exam turned out to be easier than she expected, mind you, it was still hard but Hermione studied way more than was needed for the exam. When she finished checking her exam she handed it over to Professor Babbling but as soon as she left the room she began to become anxious, and thoughts sprang to her head, wondering if she had missed something or remembered incorrectly a rune or confused a translation.

She didn't know why she was surprised by this, every time she left an exam she would begin panicking and it wouldn't stop until she received her score. She decided that she needed to find a way to distract herself from her thoughts and she realized her biggest distraction today was Harry, if she could find him she knew she would forget all about her worries about her Ancient Runes exam, and maybe find what had changed with Harry and why it happened. So she set off to the North Tower to try to find Harry before he left the tower. While she was ascending the spiral staircase of the North Tower she found Ron descending it.

"Hey Ron," Hermione greeted Ron while he neared her. "Is Harry already finished as well?" Hermione asked Ron.

"No, he just got in, we were sent in separately and Harry was the last one there," Ron answered back before he made a confused face. "Why are you looking for Harry?"

Hermione started blushing before she could answer Ron. "Well, since we're done with exams I thought that we could all go to the library to clear our heads from them."

"Hermione, we just finished exams and you want to drag us back to the library! No thank you, I think I'm going to the common room where I can truly clear my head. I doubt Harry wants to go to the library but you're welcome to try." Ron answered Hermione with a bit of disgust in his voice as to the thought of going to the library after exams had finished.

"Fine, I will, I'll see you later Ron." Hermione snapped back before huffing and continued ascending the spiral staircase.

She always hated the fact that Ron acted with disdain about her love of going to the library. It wasn't that he didn't understand Hermione that always made her angry at Ron, it was more of the fact that he never made an effort to try to understand her. She always tried to help Ron and be there for him, always tried to be empathetic, while Ron never made an effort with her. But before she could continue her train of thought she was interrupted by the sound of the trapdoor opening.

* * *

Before Harry could continue to ponder about what had happened with Trelawney, he saw Hermione waiting for him near the bottom of the trapdoor and completely forgot about everything. Harry knew something had changed, especially breakfast in the Great Hall where he couldn't stop staring at Hermione, for some reason he just couldn't stop and if it wasn't for Ron, Harry would have forgotten about his exam and just continue to watch her while she was reading.

He thought she looked rather cute while she was studying and completely forgot about the world around them. For what felt like a second only he and Hermione were in the Great Hall. But what felt like a second was more like 10 minutes of uninterrupted staring until Ron brought him out of it by telling him that they were going to be late for their exam.

"I'd never thought that Hermione Granger would make her way back to the North Tower. Are you going to ask Professor Trelawney if you can also take her exam? It would be the only thing missing to complete your collection." Harry teased as soon as he got to the ground next to Hermione.

"It would be a tempting offer since it's a free Outstanding, I'm pretty sure all you would need to do for it would be to predict your gruesome death and add a grim or two to the mix," Hermione replied cheekily.

"Well Professor Trelawney is still there, maybe I should yell at her to come and visit her favourite student." Harry retorted with a smirk.

"Don't you dare Potter or I'll make sure your firebolt meets the Whomping Willow!" Hermione replied while trying to feign anger but she couldn't keep a small smirk from creeping to her face.

"Mmmmm, I still think it would be worth it," Harry replied, his smirk turning into a full grin

Hermione huffed, turned around, and started walking down the spiral staircase with Harry following her close being while trying not to laugh. When he finally calmed himself enough to talk he went beside Hermione.

"So how was the Ancient Runes exam? I'm pretty sure you crushed it but knowing you, you probably think all your answers are wrong and want to compare every one of your answers with your notes."

By the look on Hermione's face, Harry realized that he read the situation correctly.

"I don't think all my answers are wrong," Hermione replied with an indignant look on her face. "But there are just so many answers I gave that could be wrong. I mean, what if I remembered a translation wrong or what if I forgot something or-" But before Hermione could spiral any further Harry stopped her by gently grabbing her arm.

"Hermione, calm down. Let's just go to the library and you'll realize that you nailed it and you don't have anything to worry about."

But before Harry could continue walking, Hermione gave him her signature bear hug, Harry leaned in and hugged her back. He usually didn't like other people touching him, but Hermione was the only exception, after all, she was the first person that ever hugged him and Harry didn't like to admit it but he loved whenever Hermione hugged him, even though he could feel his ribs getting crushed most of the times it happened.

When they parted Harry could see a substantial grin on Hermione's face. Then, she proceeded to grab him by the arm and dragged him toward the library. While at the library Harry was able to comfort Hermione by helping her realize she answered everything correctly, and by the time they were finished she seemed really happy, unfortunately, that didn't last as Ron entered the library with a note.

"Where the hell have you been!? I've been looking for you for hours! Look!" Ron said, looking incredibly pale, as he passed the note to Hermione, when Hermione finished reading it she looked like she was about to burst into tears. Harry hated seeing her like this so he did the only thing he could think would help her, he hugged her. And the moment he hugged her she started crying on his shoulder while he was whispering soothing words to her.

He still didn't know what had happened, but for now, he didn't care, he just wanted to be there for Hermione. It was at that moment that he realized that this was the first time he initiated a hug, not just with Hermione, but with anyone really. He didn't know what to think about it and was interrupted when Hermione broke the hug and spoke up.

"We have to go there to be with Hagrid when it happens, I don't care what he wrote, we won't let him face it alone."

And that was the moment it finally hit Harry, today was Buckbeak's appeal, and by the looks of it, he had lost and was going to be executed soon. Hermione must have noticed what Harry's expression betrayed because this time it was her who hugged Harry. But Harry wasn't about to cry, not because he wasn't sad, but because his anger against the Malfoys was far more powerful than any sorrow he felt.

"Those fucking bastards!" Harry said in a low cold tone barely above a whisper that showed his rage far more than any yell would have. "We need to do something, we can't let him die, we need to save him."

Hermione broke apart from Harry and looked at him in the eye with pity sprayed across her face. "Harry, we already tried every appeal we could to save Buckbeak's life. I don't think there's anything else we can do."

"We can break him out, he can fly far away from the castle and they wouldn't be able to get him," Harry responded, with a tone in his voice that sounded like a plea.

"If we do that they'll just blame Hagrid and then he'll get sacked, maybe even removed from the grounds altogether."

"Hermione's right, Harry," said Ron, joining the conversation after watching his best friend's reaction to the news. "The best thing we can do is be there for Hagrid."

Harry knew they were right, but a small part of him wanted to believe that they weren't, that there was a way to save Buckbeak while making sure Hagrid or anyone else didn't get the blame. But if there was a way Harry couldn't think of it. So the three of them agreed to use Harry's invisibility cloak that he recently retrieved from the passage of the one-eyed witch to go down to Hagrid's Hut an hour before sundown, an hour before Buckbeak's execution was scheduled for.

Since there were still 3 hours until sundown they decided to go to the Great Hall, since Harry and Hermione skipped lunch, and started having dinner. After that, they went to retrieve the cloak from Harry's trunk and they set off to Hagrid's hut, it was close to sundown as they lost track of time during dinner.

While they neared Hagrid's Hut Harry could see Buckbeak tied to the fence in the pumpkin patch. He looked blissfully ignorant, unaware of what was going to happen in less than an hour. It took Harry all of his willpower not to rush to Buckbeak and set him free. He knew that could only cause more harm than good, but he didn't really care at the moment, he didn't like to stand idly while he could do something to help his favourite Hippogriff.

When they arrived at Hagrid's hut, they knocked on the door, and a rough-looking Hagrid opened the door. It looked like he had been crying for hours, his hands were shaking and he had a haunted look in his eyes that made it seem like he hadn't slept in days even though the appeal was only earlier today.

"Hagrid, it's us, let us in," Hermione whispered to Hagrid.

"Hermione, Ron, Harry? What're yeh doin'ere? I told yeh to stay in the castle. I don' wan' yeh ter see this." At the same time, Hagrid said those words he went inside and left the door open, taking that as their invitation they entered and shut the door behind them. It looked like it was less than half an hour until sundown and Harry was sure that Fudge and his executioner would be here any minute now, which meant they didn't have much time.

"Hagrid, we're really sorry. We should have helped Hermione more with research for the appeal for Buckbeak, we're really, really sorry." Ron began, clearly feeling guilty about all the time wasted on fighting with Hermione instead of helping Hagrid.

"It wouldn'tve matter'd anyway, ever since Lucius Malfoy was set on k.. killin' Buckbeak there wasn't anything we could've done." Hagrid began crying and Hermione went to his side to pat him in the arm to try to comfort him.

"Isn't there anything Dumbledore can do to save him Hagrid?" Harry asked, this time he didn't bother to hide the plea in his voice. He was sure that if anyone could save Buckbeak it could be Dumbledore.

"No, there isn't anything anyone could've done. Dumbledore's already helped enough fer me ter keep my teachin' position." Hagrid responded between sobs. Harry couldn't believe this was happening, it wasn't fair for Buckbeak to die because of Malfoy, just like it wasn't fair for his parents to die because of Black's betrayal.

Harry was so angry that he lashed out and kicked a lone chair against the table and caused a milk jug to fall from the table. Harry thought he was hallucinating when he saw Scabbers come out of the jug of milk and then immediately turned back inside his refuge.

"Ron, it's Scabbers, he's inside the milk jug," Harry said and instantly Ron leaped up from the chair where he had sat down as they entered the hut and picked up the milk jug, turned it on its head and Scabbers fell into Ron's hand.

"Scabbers, you're alive!" Ron beamed happily at his rat which he immediately put in his pocket.

"I think that means you owe someone an apology." Hermione stated coldly at Ron, clearly having held a bit of resentment for being blamed for the Scabbers' "death".

"Right, when I see Crookshanks, I'll apologize." retorted Ron

"I meant me, you prat!" Hermione snapped back at Ron, clearly enraged by his inability to apologize for his actions throughout the year.

Whatever Ron was about to respond to Hermione was lost when Harry looked out the window and saw Fudge, Dumbledore, and the executioner nearing Hagrid's Hut and snapped at them.

"Shut it you two, we have to go now."

As soon as he said it Hagrid looked out of the window and saw the committee approaching the hut. He quickly grabbed the invisibility cloak and gave it to Harry.

"Let's go." Harry motioned to Ron and Hermione and they quickly got under the invisibility cloak and left through the backdoor to Hagrid's Hut. They moved towards the nearest entrance to the castle, but it was still a long way to go, Harry decided it would be for the best not to look behind when Buckbeak was executed, he didn't want to have the image of a headless Buckbeak ingrained in his memory.

As they started moving, Harry could hear Scabbers squealing and Ron fidgeting with his pocket. When they reached open ground while the sun had finally started setting and darkness started to creep upon them.

Ron started jerking violently trying to stop Scabbers from moving while Scabbers started squealing more violently. Ron began to whisper threats to Scabbers, what they were Harry didn't know, he didn't bother to pay attention to them, he was more preoccupied with what was about to happen to Buckbeak than to be interested in the fight between Ron and Scabbers.

"Ron! Stop moving around like that, you're going to -" Hermione couldn't finish what she was saying because Ron jerked so violently that Harry's cloak fell to the ground and they were no longer hidden. Ron continued to move around violently while Scabbers was getting more desperate

"Stop moving Scabbers you dumb rat. _**OUCH!**_ He bit me, stay still you-"

But Ron stopped, because at that moment, even through the rat squeals and Ron's yells, the distinct sound of an axe crashing against something was heard. It was then that Harry knew what had happened, Buckbeak had just been executed.


	2. Under The Full Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta-Read by HHrPie

Hermione was distraught, after all the hard work she put in, spending hours in the library researching, Buckbeak was still executed. She grew up learning that as long as you work hard and gave your best effort you could do anything, but this was the first time her ideology, her whole mantra, was proven wrong. And all because of Malfoy, her hatred for him was only rivaled by her sorrow from failing to save Buckbeak.

But before Hermione could deal with her grief, she watched Ron chase after Scabbers, who escaped from Ron's pocket when Buckbeak was executed. She followed Harry in chasing after Ron, but when they reached Ron and crouched to be on the same level with him Hermione saw Crookshanks trying to get to Scabbers, who was once again in Ron's pocket.

"Get away from him! Hermione, control your bloody cat, he's trying to -"

But what Crookshanks was trying to do to Scabbers was lost in Ron's throat when he heard a dog's growl close by. Hermione had also heard it and looked behind her and there she saw it. An immense, black dog with hatred betrayed in his eyes.

Before she knew what was happening the dog started running towards them, leapt on Harry, and towards Ron. Harry was pushed down by the force of the leap and Hermione could only watch while the dog bit Ron's leg and started dragging him with an ungodly strength for a dog.

Harry got up and started running towards Ron trying to catch up to him and Hermione followed him immediately, but before they could reach him, they were both hit by something they couldn't see. They flew back and crashed to the ground. Every bone in Hermione's chest and back hurt. She wouldn't be surprised if she got a bruised rib or two. Both of them stood up only to watch Ron be dragged into a hole under a tree and that's when Hermione realized what hit them, the Whomping Willow.

She looked at Harry who looked like he was bleeding, probably from cuts the Willow made when it hit him, she thought she must also have cuts but didn't care at the moment.

"Harry, we need to go for help," Hermione pleaded, but as she looked at Harry she knew it was useless. He had his _saving-people-thing_ face, and she knew that Harry would be damned if he didn't do anything to save Ron.

"No, I'm not leaving Ron. If the dog and Ron could get past the Willow so can we."

And without looking at her face that she knew betrayed her fear, Harry rushed towards the tree only to be hit again, this time in the face. But he didn't seem to care about all the cuts on his face and the concussion Hermione knew he probably had after a hit like that. He rushed back towards the tree and managed to dodge two hits that the Willow tried to send his way. Unfortunately, he was too slow for the third. Harry was thrown back and landed roughly in a spot near Hermione.

Hermione rushed towards Harry to try to stop him before he killed himself by trying to get past the Whomping Willow.

"Harry stop! Are you trying to get yourself killed? We can't get past it, we need to find somebody to help us."

"We can't, the dog could be killing Ron at this moment we need to do something," Harry replied with a plea in his voice hidden behind its determination.

He started to get up again but Hermione wasn't going to let him do anything stupid. It was in his nature to be this stupid noble prat that put others' lives before his own. But she would be damned if she just let Harry die in an idiotic, and frankly useless attempt at getting past the Willow.

" _ **NO!**_ " roared Hermione, trying to keep the fear she felt when she thought about Harry dying out of her voice, while she pushed Harry back down to the ground with all the force she could muster.

"We tried to do this your way and we couldn't. We need help, we can't get past it on our own!"

As if on cue, Hermione saw Crookshanks sprint towards the Whomping Willow and when he placed his paw upon the knot of the trunk, the Whomping Willow was immobilized.

"Crookshanks?" Hermione whispered uncertainly. How did he know how to do that. And as if Harry had read her thoughts he answered her unasked question.

"He's friends with the dog, I've seen them together. Come on!" Harry started moving towards the tree and she followed.

They reached the Whomping Willow, descended into the passage, and continued walking in silence. Hermione kept thinking back to Buckbeak, but this wasn't the time to break down, they needed to make sure Ron was safe before she could process what happened to Buckbeak. They walked for what felt like an hour and by the end, the adrenaline had left her system and her body was aching from her encounter with the Willow.

" _How must Harry be feeling now? He must be in unbelievable pain after all of his failed tries to get past the Whomping Willow_ " Hermione began to ponder to herself but was pulled out of her thoughts when they reached a house Hermione was sure was the Shrieking Shack.

The furniture inside the house was destroyed, Hermione knew that ghosts didn't do that, she was growing afraid of what might live there.

They quietly and slowly followed the trail of blood that was left behind. The amount of blood was scaring her, Ron must be badly hurt. They followed the trail up the stairs and to a room. When they reached the door of the room, they grabbed their wands tightly before Harry kicked the door open and she saw Ron on the floor, his face twisted in a pained grimace.

They stepped in and she saw the reason for his grimace. His left leg was bleeding heavily, mauled, and bitten. They could see the bone from where they were standing and Hermione was sure it was broken. When Ron saw them his face took on an expression of pure panic.

"It's a trap, he's not a dog. He's an animagus." Ron began, but before Harry and Hermione could process what Ron was telling them, a haunted and hollow voice yelled from behind them.

" _ **Expelliarmus!**_ "

Hermione felt her wand shoot out from her hand. She turned around and watched in horror as her and Harry's wand flew to the hand of Sirius Black. He looked incredibly thin, really dirty, with yellow teeth escaping his maniacal grin. Hermione began to panic, this was everything Black wanted, Harry unarmed and isolated from people that could help him, she knew that Black was going to kill Harry.

Her heart was beating faster than ever and with every beat, it hurt her chest, she was having trouble breathing. She couldn't lose Harry, her _first_ friend, her _**best**_ friend. She was about to step in front of Harry so that Sirius would have to kill her if he wanted to get to Harry but was beaten to it by Ron, who somehow managed to stand up even though his leg was definitely broken.

"If you want to kill Harry you'll have to kill us too!" Ron stated fiercely while Black began to laugh. It was a hollow laugh, without any real emotion behind it.

"No, only one will die tonight," Sirius responded

" _ **THEN IT'LL BE YOU!**_ " Harry roared and Hermione watched in horror as he sprinted towards a clearly shocked Sirius.

Before he could react, Harry grabbed him by the throat and pushed him to the ground. He began hitting Sirius in the face and didn't stop until it was purple from bruises and blood was clear on his face and mouth. After that, he snatched the wands from his hand. He held onto his and threw Hermione the other 2 wands that belonged to her and Ron.

She managed to catch them, as Harry pointed his wand at Sirius's face, his own face full of hatred and anger. But as much as she hated Sirius for what he did to Harry, she didn't want Harry to do something he would regret, for she knew that when his anger dissipated, he would regret killing Sirius.

"Harry, please don't do something you will regret later, don't lose your soul over someone like Sirius," Hermione said as gently as she could, but the fear in her voice was clear.

"He killed my mum and dad!" Harry shouted without taking his eyes off of Black. "He deserves to die! I don't give a damn about my soul! I want him to suffer, for everything he's done! And he's going to." He finished in a cold whispered as he pushed his wand threateningly into the man's neck.

Hermione honestly couldn't blame him, she didn't know how she would react if she were in his place. But she knew that after his rage was over, he would regret it and constantly beat himself up about it, he had too good of a heart not to feel guilty about it afterwards. She was about to reply to Harry when she heard the door open with force and a shout from a familiar voice.

" _ **Expelliarmus!**_ "

Hermione was relieved when she saw it was Professor Lupin that disarmed Harry, there was a professor here, Harry wasn't in danger anymore. While it was debatable how in danger he was after completely destroying Sirius's face, she was still happy that there was an adult with them and that Harry was stopped from his vendetta. As Harry stepped back from Sirius, Hermione grabbed his arm and clutched it tightly, unwilling to let go.

However, those feelings of relief didn't last long as she saw Professor Lupin help Sirius up, who was clearly unable to stand up after Harry's vicious outburst, then start hugging each other and whispering things.

"He's here, we can kill him!" was all Hermione needed to hear before her fear grew and she lashed back at them.

" _ **NO!**_ All this time I've been covering for you and you've been helping him!?" She looked at Harry and saw his confused face.

"He's a werewolf," Hermione told Harry loudly while nodding at Lupin. "That's why he's constantly missing classes."

Lupin reached for a chair and sat Sirius down, he didn't seem to be in a state where he could stand up. When Lupin looked back at Hermione, what she saw surprised her. He had a smirk on his face and was looking like he was proud of Hermione.

"You really are the brightest witch of your age, Hermione-" was all Lupin could say before Sirius interrupted him.

"Let's stop wasting time Remus, he's here, let's kill him!"

Lupin looked at Harry and then back at Sirius. "No, first Harry needs to understand why -" Lupin began but Harry interrupted him, his rage clear by the venom pouring from his voice.

"I know why!" Harry snarled. "He betrayed my parents, his best friend. He wants to finish the job, so come on you fucking coward, _**GET ON WITH IT!**_ "

"Harry, Sirius didn't betray your parents, I thought he did so too until tonight" Lupin replied to Harry in a calm voice

Harry let out a mirthless laugh before he replied. "If he didn't betray my parents then who did, Lupin?"

But before Lupin could answer Sirius barked back at Harry. "Peter Pettigrew! And he's right here, in this room"

Harry's face turned into one of rage. "You _**killed**_ Pettigrew, you liar!"

Then everything happened too fast for Hermione to grasp, after they gave Harry his wand back so and lay his own on the table, so that Harry, Ron, and Hermione would be armed while they weren't, Sirius and Lupin started explaining how they were all friends during Hogwarts with Harry's dad and Peter Pettigrew. How they would spend the nights under the full moon and how Sirius, Peter, and Harry's dad were all animagi. How they created the marauders' map and their respective names and their relationship with Snape.

Throughout the conversation, Harry and Ron looked like they thought Lupin and Sirius were mental, clearly not believing them. Hermione was also having trouble believing Lupin, which is something she was gloomy about since before tonight she thought that Lupin was one of the best professors she'd ever had. Lupin began to explain how he saw Pettigrew's name on the map today and while he was doing that, she, along with everyone else, failed to notice the sounds that came from the stairs of the shack.

A few seconds later Lupin was interrupted by the cold familiar voice of Snape before he quickly entered the room and bound him with some ropes that Snape expelled from his wand and completely immobilized him, He immediately began rejoicing about catching Lupin and Sirius single-handedly before he was interrupted by Harry shouting in anger at him.

"You pathetic piece of shit! Just because Sirius played a prank on you at school and made you look like an idiot you want to give them the kiss without even listening to reason. Lupin could've killed me all throughout the year when we were alone, he couldn't-" But Harry was interrupted by Snape's yell.

" _ **SILENCE POTTER!**_ I will not be yelled at by an arrogant kid after I saved his neck," Snape shouted, somehow maintaining his usual cold voice. "Like father like son, you would have died the same way as your father, too arrogant to believe that you were wrong. Now get out of the way!"

Hermione didn't know what came over her when she did it, maybe it was the fact that Snape was acting more dangerous than she'd ever seen him and was sure that he'd attack Harry if he didn't back down. Maybe it was because he insulted Harry and his father's memory, something that really made her angry. Whatever it was, it made Hermione reach for her wand and yell " _ **Expelliarmus!**_ "

Apparently, she wasn't the only one who thought of that since she also heard Ron and Harry's voices bellow " _ **Expelliarmus!**_ " at the same time as she did.

The next thing she knew, Snape was violently thrown to the wall where he crashed forcefully and fell to the floor face-first. Hermione could see that blood was oozing from the back of his head towards the floor where it gathered in a puddle beside him. She thought that after the adrenaline left her system that she would start regretting what she did, but for whatever reason, she didn't.

"As much as I loved watching Snivellus crash to the wall like that, you shouldn't have done that, you should have let me deal with him," Sirius stated to the trio.

While Hermione didn't regret her actions, she was still unsure about Sirius and Lupin's story. She looked at Harry who gave her a small appreciative smile at her for a second before turning back to Sirius.

"This doesn't mean I believe you, it only means you get to show me some proof before I decide how to deal with you," Harry said while pointing his wand at Sirius.

"Well then, I think it's time to show you some, give me your rat, boy!" Sirius barked at Ron after helping Lupin out of the ropes that bound him.

Ron looked like he was unwilling to give Scabbers to the convict, so he started to question Sirius about how he was sure that this rat was Pettigrew. Sirius explained how after Fudge gave him the paper he recognized Pettigrew due to all the times he saw him change into his animagus form. He stated that he realized that with Pettigrew at Hogwarts, Harry wouldn't be safe.

That's when Lupin looked at the rat and saw his front paw, the one with only four fingers. After he realized that he cut off his finger himself, Sirius began explaining his confrontation with Pettigrew and how he faked his head. Suddenly Harry began shouting again at Sirius, how he was there to finish what he couldn't almost 13 years ago. But he was interrupted by Lupin halfway through his yelling.

" _ **ENOUGH!**_ There is only one way to prove this. Let's transform Pettigrew and see what he has to say for himself. Ron, give me the rat," Lupin said in a cold tone that Hermione had never heard before. Ron began to decline until Harry's voice cut through his.

"Ron, give him the rat," Harry said in a tone that made it clear it wasn't a request.

Slowly Ron handed the Scabbers to Lupin while Scabbers was squealing violently, Lupin started to reach for his wand before Harry pointed his wand at him.

"I need my wand to transform him back, Harry," Lupin said in a calm voice and after Harry motioned with his wand that he could grab it, Lupin reached for it and immediately cast a blue-white spell and dropped Scabbers to the floor.

Suddenly Scabbers was slowly transforming. After the transformation, Hermione immediately began analyzing the man in front of her. He was rather short, extremely thin, and downright dirty, the smell that he exuded made Hermione want to vomit.

" _I guess that's what happens when you don't shower for 12 years,"_ Hermione thought to herself. As soon as Pettigrew stood up after his transformation, he immediately tried to make a rush for the door but Harry leapt to it while he pointed his wand at Pettigrew. The second Pettigrew saw the pointed wand he immediately stopped and shrieked.

"Not another step Pettigrew," Harry said coldly and when Pettigrew heard him he visibly shuddered and looked like he was seeing a ghost.

* * *

Harry was livid, the fact that Pettigrew was Scabbers and that he's been hiding like a rat for 12 years was enough for Harry to realize that the idea that Sirius was innocent maybe wasn't as far-fetched as he thought before. But he still didn't trust Sirius, he hadn't given him any reason to, so he would have to hear what Pettigrew had to say before he would cast judgment.

Whoever ended up being the person that betrayed his parents, Harry was going to make sure that they suffered for it. Not only because they killed his parents, but because they had inadvertently sentenced him to a loveless life with the Dursleys and made his life the torture that it had been for 10 years. He would return them the favour they paid him all those years ago very soon.

The only thing that stopped his body from aching from all of his bruises and cuts was his rage. He knew that without the rage and the adrenaline, he would be slumped on the floor with his body hurting all over, but he willed his body to ignore the pain and focus solely on getting revenge.

"Hello Peter," said Remus in a pleasant tone, as if he was having a casual chat with an old friend. "We were hoping you could tell us what actually happened the night James and Lily died."

"R-Remus, you need to help me. Sirius, h-he killed Lily and J-James and he's trying t-to kill m-me," Stuttered Pettigrew, the fear clear in his voice

" _ **YOU FUCKING LIAR!**_ " Roared Sirius while he stood up from his chair for the first time since Remus sat him there, looking murderous at Pettigrew. "You sold out James and Lily to Voldemort! What did he promise you, Peter? What made you betray your only friends?

"R-Remus, please h-help me. H-he tried to kill me, he's the s-spy, the dark lord has c-clearly given him some d-dark magic. How else could h-he escape from Azkaban."

Sirius started laughing a hollow laugh. "Me, dark magic? Me the spy? I escaped Azkaban by using my animagus form, not because I had dark magic. It was you Voldemort taught dark magic to." Sirius said trying to keep his anger in check after being called a traitor and didn't fail to notice when Pettigrew shuddered at the sound of Voldemort's name. "Why so scared Peter? Hearing your old master's name after all these years should be comforting to you, especially since you betrayed your only friends to please him."

"R-Remus, h-he was their s-secret keeper. There's n-no way that I-I could be the s-spy."

" _ **DON'T LIE PETER!**_ They made you their secret keeper because _**I**_ convinced them to do so! How dare you say I was their secret keeper! That I would betray James and Lily! I would've gladly died rather than betray my friends." He looked at Harry with a plea written all over his face, walked to stand in front of him, and put his arms on Harry's shoulders. "You have to believe me, Harry, I loved James like my own brother. I would have never betrayed him. He was the first person that ever cared for me, not even my own blood ever showed that, please believe me."

And at that moment he believed him. Not because Peter was acting extremely suspicious and had guilt written all over his face, but because he understood, truly **understood** what Sirius meant. The first people that ever expressed any care for him were Hagrid, Ron, and Hermione, and he would never betray them like that, he would always stay by their side because they had stayed by his side. He would happily die before betraying them to Voldemort. He could only nod before hearing a piercing shriek from the rat.

" _ **NO!**_ " He stood up and rushed towards the door before he was immobilized by ropes that came from Lupin's wand. Sirius and Remus grabbed him and tied him with more ropes to the chair that Sirius used only a few moments ago. They removed the rope that shut his mouth and as soon as he could speak, he began rambling.

"P-please, T-The Dark L-Lord. H-He has weapons y-you could n-never imagine. H-he was going to k-kill me. What would you h-have done, Remus?

"The same thing Sirius told you, I would rather die than betray my friends," Lupin replied coldly. "Besides, you should have realized that if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would. Goodbye Peter." Remus said and as he began to raise his wand, Harry yelled "NO!" and rushed to put himself in front of Pettigrew.

"Harry, this piece of shit killed your parents. He deserves to die." Sirius tried to reason with Harry while Pettigrew kept whispering "t-thank you" over and over again. Harry jerked his head violently to look at the rat.

"Shut up!" Harry commanded coldly and continued with the same tone.

"I told them not to kill you not because I want to spare you. But because I want to see when the dementor sucks your soul out of your body."

After Harry finished, Pettigrew's face turned into one of complete fear. Harry moved his head back to look at Sirius.

"Besides, if we can prove that Pettigrew is still alive, they can interrogate him and you would be a free man again," Harry said with a bright tone.

After listening to that, Sirius's face turned into a smile, a real smile that, for the first in the whole night, portrayed emotion in his face, instead of the haunted look he continually had.

Lupin then proceeded to go around the room and try to heal everyone of their respective injuries. He managed to seal his and Hermione's cuts and ease a bit the pain he felt, but given that Harry had many encounters with the Willow, his chest and back still ached.

He healed Sirius's face, but it still held signs that showed Harry's outburst. He was beginning to feel extremely guilty about what he did to his godfather, but he couldn't even look him in the face after Remus healed him, no less apologize to him. Unfortunately, Lupin couldn't do much about Ron's leg and decided to leave it to Madam Pomfrey.

They proceeded to slowly clear out of the room. Crookshanks led them, followed by Lupin and Ron chained to Pettigrew to make sure he couldn't escape, Sirius was right behind them carrying Snape's unconscious body with a levitation charm that he produced with Snape's own wand. In the end, and several feet behind Sirius, were Harry and Hermione.

Harry's whole body was still aching from his encounter with the Whomping Willow and he was now sure that he had several bruised ribs because his chest hurt like a son of a bitch. He was also lightheaded which he attributed to the fact the tree hit him right in the head on one of his attempts to dodge the blow. His torn shirt had big red spots with dried blood that came from the cuts in his face and chest. Hermione also had some cuts, but for the most part, she was fine. They walked in silence for a good half an hour until Hermione broke the silence.

"Harry... are you ok?" Hermione asked with a concerned voice.

"Peachy," Harry retorted without looking at her.

Hermione stopped and grabbed his arm in a not-so-gentle fashion, forcing him to also stop.

"I'm serious Harry. I understand why you're feeling like this, you just came face to face with the man that essentially killed your parents. But I'm worried about you, offering Pettigrew up so that the dementors can suck his soul isn't something that you usually would have condoned."

"What can I say, Hermione? This is the man that basically killed my parents and sentenced me to my 10 years in hell with the Dursleys, of course, I want him to suffer!" Harry told Hermione while he was looking at her eyes. Her expression turned into one with even more concern, something that Harry didn't think was possible.

"Harry…" Hermione began carefully and uncertainly, "What happened to you during those years at the Dursleys?"

As soon as she finished those words Harry relieved some of his most painful memories. Crying in his cupboard at night with his body aching due to the fact he was just beaten up by Dudley and his gang earlier that day when they caught him in one of their Harry Hunts. Harry being locked in his cupboard without food for five days because his recently cut hair grew back. Harry doing chores and crying while being told how his parents were useless drunks that got themselves killed in a car crash because they were driving while drunk.

Harry was interrupted from his memories by Hermione's gentle and concerned voice. "Harry..?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Hermione," Harry said in a hollow voice and started to move again only to be held back by Hermione.

"Harry. Please. I need to know. Please tell me," Hermione pleaded

"Hermione there's a reason why I don't talk about my time with the Dursleys. If you knew, you'd see me differently and I don't want that to happen," Harry responded with the same hollow tone as before.

He started to try to continue walking ahead before he was crushed by Hermione's hug. He hugged her back and when she started crying Harry began to try to soothe her, but he really didn't know how to because he didn't even know how to soothe his own pain that came from thinking about the Dursleys, no less Hermione's. So he did the best he could to make sure that his hug said everything his words didn't while he tried to keep himself from crying into her bushy brown hair.

After a couple of minutes, Hermione separated and looked at Harry with a pained look in her eyes which made Harry's heartache. Before he could say anything, Hermione started moving forward while still clinging to Harry's arm. Harry followed, wiping his eyes to make sure that the tears he managed to keep at bay didn't show, and made his way through the passageway in silence with the comforting presence of Hermione by his side.

Harry couldn't see the others so he assumed that they had already made it out of the passage. They continued and climbed out from under the Whomping Willow to be greeted by a terrifying scene. Lupin seemed to be in the middle of transforming into his werewolf form while Sirius was furiously trying to free Ron from his chains so that he wouldn't be stuck to Lupin when he fully transformed.

"Oh no," Hermione gasped. "He forgot to take his potion. He's not safe"

But Harry wasn't focused on Lupin, because at that moment he saw Pettigrew reach for the wand Lupin dropped. He quickly grabbed it and aimed it at the chains that held him to Lupin. Harry quickly reacted to it.

" _ **Expelliarmus!**_ "

When Harry saw Lupin's wand fly off his hand he thought he was successful. But then, Harry realized that he disarmed him too late, for Pettigrew managed to break the chain that tethered him to Lupin and began transforming back into his rat form. Harry was about to run towards the rat but Hermione clung hard to his arm and didn't allow him to move.

"Let go, Hermione!" Harry snapped without looking away from Pettigrew.

"Harry, you won't be able to catch him. There's nothing we can do about it," Hermione replied and then shrieked when she watched the large black dog that they knew was Sirius leap and bite the werewolf's neck.

Harry then saw that Ron was close to the battle of the two old friends and sprinted towards him with Hermione fast behind him. They helped Ron away from the fight and leaned him towards the trunk of the Whomping Willow so that he could rest his mauled and broken leg.

Harry then spotted a small glint, that he instantly knew came from his cloak, some meters away from where he was, exactly where they left it earlier, and sprinted towards it to pocket it and make sure that he didn't lose it. He immediately rushed back to his friends and when he looked back at the fight his heart sank, as he saw the werewolf, who was bleeding heavily and was clearly mauled by Sirius as an attempt to distract him from the trio, threw the black dog violently before he set off to the forest.

Harry looked back at Ron and Hermione, Ron looked really pale and Harry was sure that he was about to pass out while Hermione looked really frightened and on the verge of a panic attack. Harry gazed at Hermione, who was looking at Ron with the concern she usually just used with Harry. For some reason seeing that made his heart rate accelerate even more than it already was and he felt his stomach turn.

"Stay here with Ron -" was all Harry could say before he sprinted off to where he last saw Sirius fall to.

When he heard a sound coming from behind him he quickly turned and pointed his wand at where the sound came. He knew that if it was Lupin he couldn't really do anything to avoid being mauled, but having his wand pointed at something made him feel safe. But it wasn't Lupin he saw, it was Hermione.

"What are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay with Ron!"

"I'm not leaving you!" Hermione countered.

Harry felt a feeling in his stomach, it was completely different from when he felt his stomach turn a couple of minutes ago, it could only be described as unexpectedly pleasant. He beamed at her and retorted

"Well come on then, we don't have all night," And with that, he continued sprinting until he reached the edge of the lake and saw a sight he was sure would haunt him for years to come. He saw Sirius, his clothes were filled with blood. His skin was mauled with bright red scars, thankfully he didn't see any bites. But he could see pieces of muscle and bone where Lupin had stabbed his claws.

He sprinted towards Sirius and as he got close he could see that his injuries were worse than what he thought, if he didn't see a healer soon he would probably die from his injuries. Harry opened his mouth to talk, but what he was about to say got stuck in his throat when he saw Sirius's face turn into an expression that betrayed pure fear and began moaning.

"Nooooo… Noooo…... Please!"

Harry looked up at where Sirius was looking and was startled by what he saw. Over a hundred dementors gliding from everywhere directly to where Harry, Sirius, and Hermione were at. He quickly reached for his wand and thought of the memory of winning the Quidditch House Cup.

" _ **Expecto Patronum!**_ "

But when Harry saw his own Patronus he knew it would barely be enough for one or two dementors, and wouldn't do anything against the army of dementors that were slowly but surely reaching them. He canceled the charm and thought of another memory, this time he thought about finding out he was a wizard.

" _ **Expecto Patronum!**_ "

But again, Harry saw that his Patronus was weak, he didn't have the right memory for it. "Hermione, come on. Help me" Harry pleaded and Hermione quickly took out her wand and started trying to cast a Patronus but was failing miserably. And before Harry knew it, she passed out in front of him and landed fiercely face-first to the floor.

He tried to think of more happy memories, but the sight of his godfather bleeding on the floor and the recent memory of Hermione passing out and falling abruptly were the only things that Harry could concentrate on.

He saw his miserable memories, all his misery at the hands of the Dursleys before Hogwarts, Hermione being attacked by a troll in the girl's bathroom, Ron almost dying after being hit by the chess piece, him almost dying at Quirrellmort's hand, him being miserable at the Dursley's thinking his friends didn't want to be friends anymore, being locked into his room and his stomach aching with hunger, thinking he and Hedwig will starve to death, him and Ron seeing Hermione petrified for the first time, him almost dying to the basilisk, Hermione crying because he and Ron weren't talking to her, Ron sitting in the corner of the shrieking shack in pain from his mauled leg.

But before he could continue relieving his memories from Hogwarts, the dementor managed to remove his hood as it clutched Harry's left shoulder, and all Harry could hear was his parents dying, his father facing Voldemort alone to give him and his mum time to flee, his mum begging Voldemort to spare him while he just laughed and killed her.

The next thing Harry saw was a white light and felt his mum's screams fade. He tried to raise his head to see what was happening and saw a silver stag galloping towards the dementors. He saw all of the dementors flee quickly from the stag and when he finally saw that there were no dementors around, he stopped putting an effort to stay conscious and immediately passed out and fell right next to Hermione.


	3. Second Chances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta-Read by HHrPie

Hermione was pacing in front of Harry's bed, he was still unconscious from his efforts in the fight against the dementors and his extensive injuries. After telling Madam Pomfrey what happened just a few hours ago, she told her that when Harry arrived he had a fractured rib, several bruised ribs, internal bleeding, a concussion, and a lot of bruises in his chest and back.

How Harry didn't pass out after experiencing all these injuries baffled Hermione, any other person would be in so much pain that they wouldn't be able to move, let alone do all the things that Harry did. Seeing that there was nothing else she could do for the students that were there, Madam Pomfrey retreated to her office.

It had been more than an hour since she and Ron woke up and she was getting more concerned by the minute. Harry was taking much more time to wake up than either of them did. While he was unconscious Hermione analyzed him, all of the injuries that Madam Pomfrey described were gone, if it wasn't for his torn and bloodied shirt Hermione wouldn't have thought that Harry had them only an hour ago.

While he slept, Harry had a gaunt look on his face that was a stark contrast to the peaceful sleeping face she was accustomed to when she visited Harry in the infirmary.

She hated watching him like that, it was physically painful for her, but there was nothing that she could do about it. Harry had a knack to always be in the center of trouble and he was never one to back out of a challenge, which Hermione thought satiated his thirst to prove himself, even though she knew he would deny having such a thing.

"He's going to be alright, you know," Ron spoke up for the first time after watching Hermione pace for ten minutes.

"Yes I know," Hermione started. She knew it was irrational, Madam Pomfrey told her that Harry would wake up soon and that he would have no lasting damage, but she was still worried for Harry.

"How are we going to tell him when he wakes up?" Ron asked, his concern clear in his voice

Hermione hadn't thought of that. How could she tell Harry that his godfather, an innocent man, was about to receive the dementor's kiss because of Snape's testimony? But she didn't have time to ponder what she would tell him because she saw that he started shifting. She quickly rushed by his side, but when she got there she realized that Harry's eyes weren't open.

 _He must be having a nightmare,_ Hermione thought to herself, and suddenly Harry started twitching violently.

Watching him like this broke her heart. After a couple of seconds, he shot up to a sitting position his eyes snapped open, and looked around wildly like he was back at the lake. As soon as he spotted Hermione he visibly relaxed and lay back down.

The second he woke up, Madam Pomfrey got out of her office, when she spotted Ron awake she scolded him for not calling her as soon as he woke up and gave him a potion that made him fall asleep almost immediately. After making sure that Ron was asleep she walked to Harry's side and cast several spells.

"Hermione, what happened? How did we get here? Where's Sirius?"

"Well, from what I heard from the conversation Snape was having with Dumbledore, there was someone on the other side of the lake that cast a Patronus which drove all the dementors away."

Simply talking about the dementors made her relive her experience in the lake and made her body go cold. She unconsciously grabbed Harry's hand.

"According to Snape, he must have been an incredibly powerful wizard since his Patronus managed to drive away over 100 dementors easily. After that Snape levitated all of us to the infirmary and.."

Hermione stopped to look Harry in the eyes, he could see the relief in his face and she knew that what she was about to say would immediately destroy that feeling.

"..and he told Dumbledore that Sirius confounded us. He's being held somewhere in the castle and- and- the dementors.. they're going to.."

But Hermione couldn't continue her sentence, the mere thought of a person, especially an innocent person that already suffered 12 years in Azkaban, having their soul sucked was something that made her want to break down.

" _ **NO!**_ " Harry sat up again looking extremely agitated, he clearly understood Sirius's fate. "We need to talk to Dumbledore, we need to stop them!" Harry replied in a distressed voice.

And as soon as he finished that sentence, Dumbledore, Snape, and Fudge entered the room. Immediately Harry leapt from his bed and began walking towards Dumbledore, ignoring Madam Pomfrey's orders to lay down.

"Professor Dumbledore, you've got the wrong man! You need to stop the dementors!"

"As I told you, Minister, clearly he has experienced an extremely powerful confundus charm by Black's hand," Snape spoke with a smirk on his face before Dumbledore could answer Harry.

"I quite agree, Severus," Fudge said with a sympathetic smile. "I think that after your heroic actions tonight, I could wangle for an Order of Merlin Second Class. Maybe even first depending on how the public reacts to Black finally being captured."

The next thing Hermione knew, Harry exploded.

" _ **WHAT!?**_ An Order of Merlin for what, exactly!? For being knocked out by three third years!? For 'saving us' after another person fought off the dementors!? Or maybe for targeting Sirius without any proof that he's guilty just because he can't get over a stupid prank from almost 20 years ago!" Harry roared at the three adults.

Hermione rushed to Harry's side, grabbed his hand, and squeezed it supportingly. He glanced at her and took a deep breath to reign his anger in. She sighed in relief, glad that he calmed down.

"Why you insolent little-" Was all Snape could say before he was interrupted by Fudge.

"Now, now Severus. Clearly, the confundus charm is still affecting young Mister Potter," Said Fudge in a calming tone.

"Right…" Snape responded coldly without taking his glare off Harry and Hermione.

"I must insist that you leave the infirmary, my patients need rest," Madam Pomfrey said with an annoyed edge to her voice

"Forgive me Poppy, but I need to have a word with Mister Potter and Miss Granger about what happened tonight," Said Dumbledore in a calm and pleasant voice

"So, you believe my testimony about those events counts for nothing, Headmaster?" Snape said in a cold and angry tone.

"What testimony, we knocked you out before you could listen to a word Sirius said!" Harry replied with an outraged yet controlled voice.

"Hold your tongue, Potter!"

"Severus, you know full well that I trust you completely, but having a second point of view isn't something that we can dismiss quickly," Dumbledore responded calmly before Severus could continue.

"Fine. Just remember that Black proved himself capable of murder at 16." With that Snape left.

Dumbledore turned to Madam Pomfrey and Fudge. "I wish to speak with them alone," He said with a twinkle in his eyes. Madam Pomfrey huffed and left to her office in the infirmary while Fudge made his way to the door and closed it as he left.

"Professor, Sirius is innocent, you have to believe us."

"I do, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said while looking her in the eyes. "I just finished having a pleasant chat with Sirius and he described how they became animagi, how James and Lily changed secret-keepers at the last moment, and how Peter faked his death, so we don't have to lose time in discussing that."

"But sir, couldn't you just tell Fudge that? Have him call off the dementors?"

"Unfortunately not, Harry," Dumbledore answered as he turned his eyes to Harry.

"You need to understand that even though I believe you. There isn't a shred of evidence that proves that Sirius is innocent, and Severus has made a testimony that the Minister believed."

"But Snape's biased, Professor! He hates Harry's dad and Sirius, he isn't listening to reason and that will get Sirius kissed even though he is innocent. Professor Lupin can tell you himself that Sirius is innocent!"

"I know, Miss Granger. But it isn't just Professor Snape's testimony that the Minister believes," He responded while proceeding to walk around the room.

"There are testimonies from multiple muggle witnesses that testified to the fact that Sirius killed Pettigrew and yelled that he was the one that killed Lily and James. Professor Lupin's testimony wouldn't count for much either since he is not only a good friend of Sirius Black, but he is also a werewolf," continued Dumbledore after he looked directly at Harry. "There is a lot of bigotry in the ministry, especially against werewolves. So Professor Lupin's testimony would be immediately rejected."

"But that's bullshit!"

"Harry, listen to me." He turned to Harry and walked to be directly in front of him. "It's far too late to convince Cornelius of Sirius's innocence before the dementors perform the kiss on him. What you need to save Sirius, is more _time_." He turned towards Hermione.

"But you just-" Hermione began but then she understood what Dumbledore wanted them to do. "Oh-" Hermione breathed out, her eyes expressing the understanding she had. Dumbledore smiled at her and continued.

"Now, Sirius is in Professor Flitwick's office on the seventh floor. You know the rules Miss Granger, whatever happens, **you must not be seen**. If you succeed, more than one innocent life may be spared. I think 3 turns should be enough." He told her with a twinkle in his eyes and a smile on his face.

Hermione began to ponder what he said. _More than one innocent life. What did he mean by that?_ And then a realization hit her, she had completely forgotten about Buckbeak's death because of all the crap that went down after it had happened.

"We can save Buckbeak!" Hermione exclaimed brightly, her smile turning into a full grin from the happiness that came with the opportunity of saving Buckbeak.

"What?" Harry exclaimed, clearly not understanding the conversation.

He looked at Dumbledore for help to understand what Hermione meant but Dumbledore kept looking at Hermione.

"Now, once I step out I will lock the door to the infirmary. If you do not return by this time, you will be left out from here and the consequences could be.. disastrous."

He walked towards the door and closed it. Hermione turned to Harry, who had a thoroughly confused face that Hermione thought was rather cute.

* * *

Harry didn't know what was happening, his talk with Dumbledore only confused him instead of relieving him. He hated not knowing what was happening, but Hermione clearly understood so he decided to just go with whatever she said, he was sure she would later explain and if what Dumbledore said was true, they didn't have time to waste.

Hermione turned towards him as she reached for a chain that hung around her neck. She grabbed him and pulled him a little too close before wrapping the chain around both of their necks.

"You know, if you wanted me this close you could've just asked," Harry said cheekily in a low voice so that only Hermione could hear him, he saw her blush but she didn't respond.

Harry quickly became interested in the golden chain that surrounded their necks, he was about to touch the hourglass that Hermione was playing with, but Hermione playfully slapped his hand before he could do it. He feigned a hurt expression and he could've sworn that he saw Hermione smirk for a second without looking up from the hourglass she was concentrating in.

He didn't understand what happened next, Hermione turned the hourglass 3 times before letting it go, he started to feel like he was being pushed backwards. He started seeing people moving backwards at an incredibly fast pace. He couldn't make out the faces only the shapes of the people he saw. It ended as soon as it began.

When everything stopped he suddenly felt sick and had the urge to vomit, but kept himself from doing it. Before he could process what just happened Hermione grabbed his hand and sprinted out of the infirmary.

"Come on Harry, we don't have much time!"

"Time for what, Hermione? What is going on?" Harry asked, hoping to receive an answer but apparently, Hermione decided it was not the time yet.

Harry didn't know where exactly Hermione was guiding him but he didn't have a choice but to hurry behind her since she kept a firm hold on Harry's hand.

They left the castle through an exit Harry had never used and he realized that they were making their way towards Hagrid's hut. Hermione stopped near the door they regularly used when they set out to their Care of Magical Creatures class and what Harry saw confused him more than he already was.

He saw himself, Ron, and Hermione covering themselves with the invisibility cloak once they were outside the castle.

"What the- " Harry began loudly, but Hermione covered his mouth, grabbed him, and pushed him towards the wall on his left side, out of view.

He found that he enjoyed the feel of Hermione's hand on his lips but right now he needed answers, so he stuck his tongue out of his mouth and licked her hand. Hermione instantly pulled her hand away and tried to clean it on Harry's shirt with a grossed-out look on her face. Harry had to force himself not to chuckle at her adorable reaction.

"Ew! What'd you do that for!?"

"It's your fault for covering my mouth," Harry retorted with a smirk.

"You were about to expose us!" Hermione responded with an indignant tone in her voice.

"Expose what? Hermione, what's going on? Why did I just see myself? How is that even possible?"

"Harry this.." Hermione started while grabbing her golden chain and lifting it so that Harry could see it. "Is a time-turner. It allows the user to go back in time. McGonagall gave it to me at the beginning of the year."

Hermione kept looking at Harry in the eyes while she continued.

"This is how I've been getting to all of my classes. Dumbledore told us to use this to save two innocent lives, I think that means Buckbeak and Sirius, but while we're doing this, **we can't be seen**. Messing with time is something extremely dangerous and if we're seen, it could have very dangerous consequences."

She grabbed Harry's arm and started pulling him towards the path to Hagrid's hut.

"Now come on, we don't have much time right now, Buckbeak will be executed in about half an hour. We can talk about this later."

Hermione continued but was held back by Harry when he stopped moving.

"Wait, I have my cloak with me, we can use it to make sure we aren't seen."

He reached into his pocket and pulled the crumpled cloak, he gently smoothed it before covering himself and Hermione with it.

"Brilliant!" Hermione said brightly.

* * *

They walked at a quick pace to Hagrid's pumpkin patch where they knew Buckbeak was chained up. As they neared Buckbeak they saw Hagrid's door open and then close by itself. _We must've just entered Hagrid's hut_ , Hermione thought to herself.

"Come on Hermione, we don't have much time before we come out of Hagrid's hut."

He made to move towards the hippogriff but Hermione stopped him before he could.

"No Harry, we need to make sure Fudge and the others see Buckbeak before we rescue him. If they don't they'll just blame Hagrid and sack him from Hogwarts."

"But Hermione, if we wait for them to see him we won't have enough time. It took less than 2 minutes after we left Hagrid's hut for them to execute him last time!"

"I know Harry, but there really isn't another way," Hermione replied sadly.

Harry gave her a look that betrayed despair but he quickly changed it to a focused look that made Hermione's inside shiver pleasantly. For whatever reason, she felt immediately attracted to it, but before she could ponder as to why that was she was interrupted by him.

"Hermione, I was thinking.." Harry started but then noticed Hermione's face. She immediately blushed. "Everything alright Hermione?" He said while grinning at her.

"Spectacular," Hermione retorted, trying to keep her blush under control. "You were saying?"

"Right. I thought we could use the dead ferrets that Buckbeak loves," He said while pointing at them from under the cloak.

Hermione quickly looked at them and looked back at Harry, understanding dawning on her about his plan.

"And use them to lure Buckbeak without causing a big scene by trying to push him away!" Hermione squeaked brightly before Harry could continue speaking. "That's brilliant Harry!"

He gave her a sheepish grin. "Thanks, Hermione."

Hermione was about to continue but stopped herself when she heard Dumbledore's voice coming from behind her. She was about to panic until she remembered that they were under the invisibility cloak. But for a second she could've sworn that Dumbledore looked at her and gave her an almost imperceptible nod.

She saw them continue walking towards Hagrid's Hut and as soon as they knocked, Hagrid's backdoor opened slowly and gently closed by itself. Dumbledore, Fudge, and the executioner entered the hut and Hermione knew they had to act quickly before anyone saw them.

Hermione nodded at Harry and then at the chain and he nodded back in support of her plan.

He swiftly and silently stepped out of the cloak and began slowly walking towards Buckbeak. While he did that, Hermione quickly and quietly moved towards the death ferrets and grabbed three of them.

She turned back and saw that Harry already had hold of Buckbeak's chain, but the hippogriff stayed there lying down on the ground. She neared them and passed the three dead ferrets to him. He grabbed them and as soon as Buckbeak saw them he got up from his resting position.

Harry fed him one and moved back towards the forest while holding another one to Buckbeak so that he would follow. They quickly made their way to the edge of the forest where Harry fed him another one. He proceeded to walk into the forest, luring Buckbeak away from Hagrid's hut in the process.

As Harry was doing that, Hermione kept watching at the three men in Hagrid's hut. When she saw that they didn't notice what was happening outside she was relieved. They had done it! They saved Buckbeak!

Hermione turned around, walked into the forest, and stopped near Harry.

She knew that she was under the cloak and that Harry couldn't see her, so she decided to study him without having to worry about him knowing about it. She didn't know why she had that reaction earlier, it scared her a little bit. But she oddly wanted it to happen again. She couldn't explain why, but when her insides shivered like that she felt a pleasure she had never experienced before.

She was interrupted from her musings when she heard the door to Hagrid's Hut open, she quickly looked for Buckbeak and saw that he was chained to a tree far away. They wouldn't be able to find him unless they stepped inside the forest.

She then heard Fudge's shocked voice.

"He was right here! I saw him chained up and everything! Where did he go!?"

"He must've had something to do with it!" Said a gruff voice that Hermione didn't recognize, so she immediately assumed it was the executioner.

"Forgive me McNair, but Hagrid was with us the whole time. Surely, you wouldn't be implying that he had anything to do with this, now would you?" Dumbledore's calm voice responded.

"We must search the grounds, Dumbledore! If the prophet finds out about this I'll be the laughing stock of the media for weeks!"

"Search the skies if you must, Cornelius, if I remember correctly he did have wings the last time I saw him."

"But- but- but-"

"Cornelius, there is nothing we can do about this, he's already too far for us to catch him," Dumbledore said, not trying to hide the contentment from his voice. "I for one am going to celebrate this as a happy little accident. What do you say Hagrid? Would you care to join me at The Three Broomsticks for a couple of drinks?"

"O' course, Professor Dumbledore, sir!" Hermione heard the door to Hagrid's hut open and shut before she once again heard it do the same a couple of moments later. "Ready ter go, Professor Dumbledore, sir!"

"Excellent," Dumbledore paused for a second before continuing. "I'm afraid your services are no longer required McNair, have a good day."

And with that, Hermione heard Hagrid and Dumbledore walk off while talking happily. A couple of moments passed before she heard Fudge once again, irritation clear in his voice.

"Come on McNair, I'm afraid there's nothing we can do about it. I know how excited you were about this."

And with that they left towards the castle, the only sound to be heard was McNair's annoyed grunt.

Hermione was livid about the fact that McNair actively enjoyed killing animals. She wanted to hex him into oblivion for such a thing but obviously wouldn't do that. So she just had to be happy with her imagined memory of her doing that.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of a familiar voice.

* * *

"I know you're there Hermione, and it's frankly a little bit creepy that you're still under the cloak." Harry teased Hermione. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were staring at me."

He had heard when Hermione joined him but decided to let her indulge in whatever she was doing before he called her out for it.

She immediately removed the cloak and Harry saw the blush on her face. He smirked at her and continued.

"Come on Hermione, right about now we are entering the Whomping Willow."

They rushed through the forest, leaving Buckbeak behind as they did, and got there in time to see Ron being pulled down the hidden passageway beneath the Willow by a big, black dog. They proceeded to watch the Willow violently attacking them, only for Harry to continue his futile attempts at trying to get past it.

He didn't really appreciate how bad it looked until he saw it from an outsider's perspective. Quite frankly, it was brutal. He could hear the sounds of his bones crashing against the Willow's branches when they continually hit him. And Harry saw how rough he looked after his continued attempts, the blood from his cuts in his face and chest clearly visible from where he was standing.

"Wow, that looked really painful." Harry accidentally thought out loud and instantly regretted it when he saw Hermione's glare at him.

"You think!?" Hermione snapped but was stopped when Harry put his hand on her mouth. He had just spotted Lupin nearing the Willow, who turned to look in their direction when Hermione began shouting.

What he didn't expect was when he felt a wet and clammy feeling on his hand. The moment he felt it he quickly removed it from her mouth, where he saw Hermione was smirking at him. He proceeded to rub his hand into Hermione's shoulder, cleaning it from her saliva while glaring at her.

"What was that for!?"

"It's _your_ fault for covering my mouth," Hermione echoed his previous words with a smug grin.

"You were about to expose us!" Harry said while he pointed at Lupin.

Both saw how Lupin just stood in front of the Willow and cast a quick _Immobilus_ at the tree which caused it to stop moving.

"I'm surprised you didn't think of that, Granger," Harry smirked at her. "All the damage you could've prevented with a simple _Immobilus_."

"Oh shove off Potter" Hermione retorted with a mock glare. "At least I wasn't the one that decided the best thing he could do was run at the tree over and over again."

"Touché, Miss Granger, touché."

"Why thank you, Mister Potter."

By that point, they couldn't hold it anymore and burst out laughing.

When they stopped they looked back at the Whomping Willow only to see Snape move past its immobilized form and lower himself down the passage.

"And now we wait."

"And now we wait."

They sat in comfortable silence for quite some time. Harry didn't know how much but he wasn't going to break it. He loved how comfortable it felt to just be in each other's presence and not feel obligated to say a word.

However, their silence was disrupted by Hermione's uncertain voice.

"Harry.."

"Yes, Hermione?"

"I wanted to continue our conversation… the one about the Dursleys..."

As much as he always admired Hermione's determination, he got slightly annoyed that she wouldn't drop the subject.

"Hermione I already told you I don't want to talk ab-"

"I know," Hermione interrupted hastily before he could continue. "I heard you the first time. And I understand why. You don't want to relive your experiences from the time you spent with them. I get it, more than you think." Hermione said in a sad voice while she looked intently at Harry's eyes.

"But I'm worried about you, Harry. Every time you think about them, even for a second, you space out and it seems like you're somewhere else." The concern in her voice was growing as she continued.

"You just seem really lonely sometimes. Everyone has their secrets Harry, clearly, you have your fair share of them. And it's fine if you don't want to share them with me, but I really think you should share them with someone." Hermione finished and looked at him with a mixture of pity and worry.

"I'm not looking for anybody to save me, Hermione." His hollow voice from earlier that night coming back to him.

Hermione just chuckled at him, something that perplexed Harry.

"Of course you're not. You've always been the person that tries to save everyone but himself. It's one of the things I love about you the most." Both of them blushed furiously but Hermione continued as if nothing happened.

"I know what you said earlier. And for the record, you're wrong. I could never look differently at you," Harry opened his mouth to argue but Hermione placed a finger on it, signaling not to interrupt her before she continued.

"I can't look at you differently because I've always seen the real you. Behind all your heroic acts, sassy remarks, and general carefree attitude about life, I've always seen the lonely boy that craves the love he never had and would be willing to give anything for it. And I care about you too much to let your baggage push me away from you." She smiled sadly at him, sincerity clear in her eyes. Harry felt the tears that were starting to build in his eyes but stopped them before they could form. He wouldn't show weakness and cry, especially not in front of Hermione.

"I'll always be there with you Harry," Hermione continued with the most genuine smile he'd ever seen in his life. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

Harry didn't know what made him do it, but the next thing he knew he was hugging Hermione. He tried and tried to stop the tears from forming again but the more he tried the more they pushed to come out and before he knew it he was sobbing. Hermione was doing everything to comfort him, her soothing voice became the only thing he focused on.

"It's ok Harry, you're ok. I'm not leaving you. You won't get rid of your annoying, bossy, bookworm friend as long as I have anything to say about it." Hermione said with a chuckle as she finished.

But the more she said to him the more he broke down. He didn't understand why he was crying. It made no sense to him. He knew that other people cared for him, Ron and Hagrid being the most prominent examples in his mind. But then he realized it was because she was there, reassuring him that she would never leave him. Explicitly giving him the care. The warmth. The **love** that he always craved.

This made him want to never let go of her.

They stayed in the embrace for what felt like an eternity before they separated. Hermione dragged her thumb through Harry's face, removing the tears that lingered there, with the biggest smile he'd ever seen on her face. Harry looked longingly into her eyes and what he saw made his insides squirm something he didn't know how to describe. Her eyes were full of love and sincerity and it made Harry truly understand for the first time in his life, there was a person that cared about him. That **loved** him.

They stayed in their comforting presence quietly for a long time. During this time Harry couldn't think about anything else except Hermione. Every time he tried to focus away from her, he remembered the feeling of pure love that he felt when he looked into her eyes. It was intoxicating to him, he couldn't get enough of it.

He started stealing glances at Hermione when she wasn't looking, he wasn't sure why he was compelled to do that but did it anyway. Every time he looked at her he felt extreme happiness, but nothing compared to what he felt when he looked at her after they parted from their embrace moments ago.

After a couple more minutes Hermione broke their silence again.

"Harry, who do you think cast the Patronus on the lake?"

He hadn't been able to think about that due to everything that had happened since. He had a feeling that he couldn't explain. He felt that it was his dad. The possibility of his dad being the one that cast the Patronus made him cheerful.

"I think it was my dad," Harry responded brightly and as soon as he saw her face he continued quickly. "I mean, I know it's impossible because he's well - you know... dead. But when I saw the Patronus, it reminded me of him. I don't know why but it did."

He looked back at Hermione and saw her smiling sadly at him.

"Well, we'll know for sure when we see whoever it was."

As he said that, Hermione instantly snapped out of her trance.

"What!? Harry, we can't be seen. As much as I want to see who it is, we would be taking a pretty big risk. Remember what Dumbledore said, it can have disastrous consequences."

"Hermione, for the brightest witch of the school you always seem to forget about something."

When he saw her puzzled face bright red from her blush he reached behind him and grabbed the cloak of invisibility that she left there when they sat down. He proceeded to dangle it in front of her face in a ridiculous fashion so she would get the point.

"Harry, it would still be a risk. If we are seen it could have disas-"

"Cloak. Of. In. Vi. Si. Bi. Li. Tay. Hermione." Harry interrupted shamelessly as he gently hit her with it as he said each syllable. "We won't be seen Hermione, please."

Harry pleaded but when he saw her face didn't budge he appealed to her studious side.

"Come on Hermione, I know you want to find out who cast the Patronus as much as I do. I doubt you've stopped thinking about it since you heard what Snape told Dumbledore. You know you want to."

"I do but-"

"Then let's do it, we'll be fine I promise. And if we do break time I'll take full responsibility for it." He said while grinning.

Harry saw that she was about to budge, so he put on his best puppy dog eyes and looked at her.

"Please. I promise I'll stay in the cloak at all times." He pleaded.

Harry saw Hermione's face changed into one of hesitant agreement and before she could even say a word he let out a loud whoop. That caused him to receive a playful smack at his arm from her.

"Calm down Harry!" Hermione said, trying to hide her chuckle.

Before Harry could say anything else to Hermione, he saw that people started to come out from under the willow. He grabbed Hermione's hand, pulled her up, and started running towards the lake.

"Come on Hermione, it's about to happen we don't have much time!" He said with a voice similar to a child's excitement.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him but sprinted behind him, not letting go of his hand. Once they got to the place where Harry was sure the wizard who cast the Patronus would be, he quickly covered them with the invisibility cloak and silently waited for everything to go down. After five minutes, he saw his past self, alongside Hermione's, arrive at the edge of the lake and rushed to Sirius's side.

He saw the dementors beginning to gather around the trio and slowly walked towards them. But as moments passed and he waited he got the grisly feeling that no one would come to save them.

As soon as he saw Hermione pass out he couldn't wait anymore.

He threw the cloak of himself and heard Hermione hiss angrily at him for breaking his promise but he didn't care. As he rushed to the edge of the lake he tried to think of a powerful memory to produce his Patronus. But when he got to the edge of the lake, wand in hand, and only a second before casting it, he decided to focus on a feeling instead.

The feeling of love that Hermione gave him for the first time in his life. The feeling of someone actively and genuinely caring about him. He pushed all the positive emotions he could to the surface of his mind to strengthen that feeling and yelled.

" _ **EXPECTO PATRONUM!**_ "

Immediately, a solid-looking, bright white, giant stag erupted abruptly from his wand and charged against the dementors with an incredible speed. Harry was filled with the feeling of love he felt when he looked at Hermione's eyes, except this time it was like it was radiating from the Patronus itself. He watched as the dementors fled from the stag and as soon as all the dementors were gone and Harry's past-self passed out. The stag walked towards him until he was just a few feet from his face. It wasn't until then that Harry understood.

"Prongs?" Harry whispered while he tried to touch the stag. But just before his hand could reach it, the stag disappeared.

* * *

Hermione was amazed by what she just saw. Harry just produced a fully corporeal Patronus that drove away over a hundred dementors. She always knew that Harry was an incredibly powerful wizard, but she never imagined him being **this** powerful. Even Snape had admitted to Dumbledore that he was immensely impressed by the Patronus, and Snape was very hard to amaze.

When Harry turned back she beamed at him, her grin betraying how proud she was of him. She quickly dashed at Harry and enveloped him into a bone-crushing hug. When she parted from the embrace to look at Harry she saw something moving by the other side of the lake.

"Harry, quick!" She said while she grabbed his arm and pulled him with her behind a tree.

Apparently, she pulled him with a lot of force because when they were behind the tree and she stopped, he barely managed to stop himself from crashing into her. They were extremely close, their faces only a couple of inches apart.

Hermione loved being this close to Harry and as soon as she realized how close they really were, her insides began to shiver pleasantly as they did before. She was about to do something extremely rash before she was pulled out of her trance by a violent sound.

Harry and Hermione both looked at the location where the sound came from and saw what produced it, Snape had just kicked Sirius in the face. She could feel Harry getting furious, so she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. At this, he immediately calmed down and gave her an appreciative smile.

They watched Snape levitate their body's along with Sirius's and didn't speak until they were sure that Snape was completely out of sight.

"Harry! That was amazing! I've never seen a Patronus like that before! Even in the pictures of the books I read about dementors the Patronus's weren't nearly as bright as yours!"

With that, Harry blushed but Hermione didn't care and continued. "And the feeling it gave, it was pure warmth. It was- it was-"

She was looking for a word to describe the feeling but she couldn't place her finger on it.

"Yeah, it was." Harry simply replied with a grin on his face. Hermione just thought that he also couldn't describe the feeling so she moved on.

"Well, we still have an hour before Dumbledore closes the doors to the infirmary, and we know that Dumbledore spoke to Sirius, so it should be safe to head out for him in about half an hour." Heroine said brightly.

"Perfect, we can slowly make our way to Buckbeak to set him free and then try to rescue Sirius!"

And with that they slowly walked through the forest, they were very close to each other but weren't holding hands. Something that Hermione extremely wanted to do for some reason.

They continued for about 20 minutes in one of their comfortable silence which Hermione loved before Harry broke it.

"You know what this means, don't you?" Harry teased with a smirk and continued when he saw Hermione's puzzled face. "According to Snape, I'm 'an incredibly powerful wizard'."

When she rolled her eyes at him he couldn't help but chuckle.

"You're also incredibly modest, aren't you Potter?"

Harry feigned an expression of hurt while he clutched his chest.

"You wound me, Granger, I can't even celebrate my small victories with my best friend without being accused of being arrogant." He retorted with mock hurt all over his voice.

Hermione immediately blushed. " _Best friend? He considers_ _ **me**_ _his best friend?_ "

She was perplexed by her best friend's comments, she was sure that he considered Ron his best friend and that she was just his bossy friend who constantly nagged him about school. She wanted to ask about what he meant by that, but decided to save that conversation for later, she had a lot to think about.

Besides, she loved the little game they had when they teased each other, she wasn't about to let him win without putting up a fight.

"Well, if I remember correctly you once told me that you weren't as good as me."

"And I still stand by that." he retorted, his grin still clear on his face

With that, Hermione was sure that her blush spread to her neck and started to think that the trees ahead were very captivating.

Harry must've noticed her reactions because he started laughing uncontrollably. Hermione couldn't think of a response to that and she knew she'd just lost. _Well, it certainly wasn't the worst way to lose_ , she thought to herself.

They continued walking for about a minute, but with Harry's laughter, neither of them heard the hectic noises that came from the forest. Shortly after Hermione saw the werewolf she knew was Lupin sprint directly at her, his claws extended to attack her.

She couldn't react and froze in place, she was sure this was it. She and Harry were about to be killed and there was nothing they could do to stop it. But before the werewolf could reach her, she felt a forceful push from her left side and fell to the ground, but before she fell she heard a piercing scream that betrayed incredible pain.

While she was lying on the ground she looked towards the source of the scream and what she saw made her heart stop beating completely. Harry was on the ground opposite her, he had a bright red injury in the form of claw marks that spread from his left shoulder to the top half of his left chest. It was bleeding heavily and looked incredibly violent.

Then, in what felt like slow motion, she noticed that the werewolf started to lean down at Harry's chest with his mouth open and ready to bite him. She was frozen with shock, she didn't know what to do and could only watch in horror. Suddenly, Buckbeak came out of the forest, the chain in his neck broken, and attacked the werewolf before he could bite Harry.

The werewolf tried to lash back at the hippogriff but when Buckbeak stood on two feet and threatened another attack, he just turned in the opposite direction and sprinted deeper into the forest.

As soon as the werewolf was out of sight Hermione recovered from the shock and immediately ran to where Harry was. His face was contorted in pain but he tried to stand up anyways only to be forcefully pushed back down to a sitting position by Hermione.

"What the hell were you thinking!? Do you have a death wish!? Why not move your stuff to the hospital wing since you seem to want to spend every night there!" Hermione scolded Harry while she was attempting to help with his injuries.

She knew she wasn't actually mad at him, but the last three years of bottled concern for Harry just exploded and made her frantic with fear and anger. She hated that he never seemed to care for his own safety and would be damned if she didn't scold him for his recklessness.

"Well, I was thinking about the werewolf that was headed directly to you, maybe you missed it. 8 feet tall, hairy, an all-around ugly fellow. Does that ring a bell?" Harry replied with a smirk, clearly trying to make light out of his situation for Hermione's sake.

"I didn't miss him! But that was still a fucking stupid thing to do! You could have died!"

"But I didn't, so it's fine. Besides, I have the utmost faith that Madam Pomfrey will take good care of me. After she kills me for having yet another injury" He said the last thing in a whisper, winked at Hermione and got up. This time Hermione didn't stop him.

"Right, let's get you to the hospital wing -"

"Yeah, no problem. I'll take the bed next to my younger self, I'm sure he would find it amusing to see me there when he wakes up. And Snape will just be thrilled about having to deal with two Potters instead of just one." Harry teased her.

With everything that just happened, Hermione had forgotten that they were still in the past and couldn't go to the hospital wing. And as much as Hermione wanted Harry to go to the infirmary so that Madam Pomfrey can tend to his injuries, he couldn't go there just yet. Her face must have betrayed her feelings because Harry immediately comforted her.

"Look, let's just focus on saving Sirius, and then I promise I'll let Madam Pomfrey check me up. I won't even do my usual complaining. Deal?"

Hermione didn't like it but she knew there was no other choice.

"Fine, but if you make a single complaint when Madam Pomfrey's checking on you, I'll hex the crap out of you, Potter."

Harry started chuckling until he saw the glare Hermione gave him

"Ok ok Hermione, I promise." He raised his hands in mock surrender while trying to suppress his grin but was failing miserably. "So how are we going to get to Sirius?"

"Well, Dumbledore told us he's being held in Flitwick's office, so we just need to find it from the outside, break the window, and rescue Sirius."

By the time she finished the sentence Harry was grinning mischievously, she didn't like it.

"So, we need to rescue him from the outside?" Harry smirked at Hermione

"Yes."

"And you said he's being held in Flitwick's office?"

The fact that he continued to smirk deeply unsettled her, he clearly knew something she didn't. So she started thinking about what it could be, it took a couple moments for the realization to dawn on her, and as soon as it did Harry started roaring with laughter.

She glared at him but he didn't stop for another minute and as soon as he did he nodded at Buckbeak.

"Absolutely not!"

"There's no other way Hermione, you're just going to have to suck it up and do it."

"But you know I'm afraid of heights, Harry!" Hermione pleaded with him. "Couldn't you just go get him on your own and come to me afterwards?"

"And pass up on a chance to have you ride Buckbeak?" Harry smirked. "To quote you, 'absolutely not'. You're not getting away this easily." Harry said, mimicking Hermione's voice when he quoted her.

Hermione glared at him but he continued with his grin and the fakest tone she'd ever heard from him. "Besides, I'm _mortally_ wounded, Hermione. I just don't think I could survive the rescue without you." He placed the backside of his hand on his forehead, feigning pain.

"Fine! But I **will** get you back for this Potter." She said with a mockingly angry tone in her voice.

"I'm sure you will," Harry said as he winked at her

She glared at Harry and proceeded to muster all of her Gryffindor courage, bowing one more time to Buckbeak just in case. When he bowed back to her, she slowly neared him, patted his beak, and proceeded to climb the hippogriff.

After she was on Buckbeak, Harry proceeded to bow and near the hippogriff as well, he climbed and placed himself behind Hermione. Hermione was surprised when she felt his hands snake around her waist and held her tightly.

"Whenever you're ready Hermione," Harry replied and even though she couldn't see his face, she was sure that he was smirking.

After a couple of moments, Hermione gently nudged Buckbeak's side and he instantly started sprinting and soared into the air. Hermione was terrified and didn't dare to look down at the ground, she knew she would probably faint if she did.

She didn't notice that she was muttering "Oh no.. oh no.. oh no." repeatedly until Harry placed his hands around her stomach, hugged her gently as he pushed himself at her, and whispered soothingly into her ear.

"It's ok Hermione, you're ok."

With that, Hermione completely relaxed.

She didn't know why but she felt safe in Harry's arms. She knew that as long as she was with him, nothing would happen to her. She let Harry help her guide Buckbeak and headed to the west tower where they knew Flitwick's office was located. They spent around five minutes looking for Flitwick's office until Harry found it.

"There! I see him!"

They guided Buckbeak towards the window and managed to get him to hover there. Hermione reached for her wand and cast a quick _Finestra_ at it, shattering the glass without making any sound.

As soon as Sirius saw this, he got up from the ground and stared at them in disbelief.

"But- you... how?"

"Just get in, we'll explain later!"

With that, Sirius climbed the window frame, leapt to the hippogriff, and sat behind Harry, and they quickly set off before anyone could spot them. Hermione guided Buckbeak towards the entrance near Hagrid's Hut, sure nobody would spot them there. As soon as Buckbeak landed she got off the hippogriff and helped Harry down. As she was helping him down Sirius noticed his injuries.

"What happened to you!?" He said as he got down from Buckbeak.

"You sound like Hermione." Harry retorted with a grin as he turned and looked her in the eyes for a second before turning back to Sirius. "Besides, what happened to you? Last time I saw you you looked all fucked up."

Sirius gave him a grin, one that oddly reminded Hermione of Harry's own.

"Well, Madam Pomfrey patched me up while I was at Flitwick's office. I don't think she was happy about it but did it anyway when Dumbledore asked her. I doubt she'll be happy when she fixes you up."

Harry grinned at him. "She never is."

"How did you two manage to save me?"

"Well.." He turned to look at Hermione and she nodded.

He proceeded to explain to him about the time-turner and everything they did. As he did, Sirius looked at Harry with pride and immediately hugged him when he finished.

Hermione figured she was intruding on a private moment and walked towards Buckbeak while keeping her back to them. But she could still hear their conversation.

"Thank you so much. I honestly don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come." Hermione heard him stop talking for a second, but didn't look back to see what was happening. "You're probably tired of hearing this, Harry. But you're a lot like your parents. You look so much like James. Except for your eyes, you have-"

"My mother's eyes, yeah." Harry interrupted brightly

"But that's not the only way you remind me of them. You're so much like them. You have your James's energy and recklessness while also having Lily's kindness and heart."

"Well… I don't know about that, I did hit you in the face more than a few times" Harry replied sheepishly

Sirius barked a laugh full of emotion. "You did, and even though I never saw James lash out at someone like that, he always had a great sense of loyalty to his friends and family. I think he would be really proud of you for also having it. Besides, you have a pretty good right hook."

Hermione felt Harry's bright grin on his face and even though she couldn't see it, she was sure it was there.

"You know I'm your godfather, don't you?"

"Yeah, I overheard Hagrid saying that you were."

"Well I would understand if you like living with your aunt and uncle, but I thought. After everything, after I finally clear my name that you could-"

"Come and live with you?" Harry replied with a plea in his voice.

"Yes, but if you-"

"Yeah, I'd love to!"

"Really..?"

"Of course!"

There were a few more moments of silence which Hermione assumed was because of a hug exchanged between the two.

"I promise you, Harry, once I'm free we'll be a proper family. You'll see. But for now, I'm afraid I must get going, when Fudge finds out I escaped he'll send every dementor in Hogwarts to look for me around the grounds."

Hermione turned around, confident that their moment was over, and spoke for the first time in minutes.

"Why don't you take Buckbeak since both of you are technically fugitives."

Sirius smiled at her like he had seen an old friend. "Not a bad idea Hermione!"

He turned to Buckbeak, bowed, and proceeded to climb on top of him. Hermione turned to Harry and walked to his side. She was surprised when he grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Once Sirius was on top of the hippogriff, ready to go, he looked at Harry and Hermione.

"I'm really happy for you two." He said with a knowing smile.

"What?" Both Harry and Hermione asked at the same time.

Sirius just chuckled to himself. "You are just as blind to it as they were at your age."

And with that, he nudged Buckbeak's side and the hippogriff sprinted and soared to the sky. Harry and Hermione watched them until they were out of sight in a comfortable silence. Suddenly, Hermione remembered Dumbledore's warning. She quickly checked her watch and realized they couldn't waste more time.

"Harry! We have less than 15 minutes to be back at the infirmary before Dumbledore locks the door!"

She dragged him towards the infirmary as fast as she could without letting go of his hand.

She knew that they had to be quick to get there before their time-limit ended. As Hermione continued running while dragging Harry behind her, she failed to notice Harry's groans of pain caused by the werewolf injury he received earlier.

They continued running until they saw the infirmary, with its door closed. Hermione immediately thought that they were too late and that they failed.

But before Harry could open his mouth to ask her a question, the door to the infirmary opened and Dumbledore stepped out. He beamed at Harry and Hermione before turning back and closing the door quietly. Hermione just realized that in her panic, she forgot to check the time.

"Sir, we did it, Sirius is free and Buckbeak's alive," Harry exclaimed brightly.

Dumbledore gave him a closed smile and turned towards Hermione. "I trust you made sure you weren't seen, Miss Granger?"

"Yes Professor Dumbledore."

"Good." He beamed at her and turned to Harry, spotting his chest injury. "Oh dear, I'm afraid Poppy's going to be quite mad about that." He said whilst looking intently at it.

Harry blushed and looked to the ground before Dumbledore continued. "Now, I'm sure your counterparts have already left by now. Go inside before I lock the door."

They did as he said and managed to catch a small glimpse of themselves for half a second before they disappeared to the past. As soon as the door closed loudly Madam Pomfrey got out of her office.

"Finally, I can- Mister Potter, what happened to you!?" She exclaimed as soon as she saw Harry's injury.

"Um- well, you see- I can exp-" Harry began but was interrupted by Madam Pomfrey

"Those look like werewolf wounds! How did you get them?"

"Ummm… it's a funny story but can we talk about it after you cure me?"

"And what makes you think I would do that if you don't even answer my questions Potter?" Madam Pomfrey replied crossly

"Come on Madam Pomfrey, I'm pretty sure that after all the time I've spent here I've become your favorite student. Surely you wouldn't let me experience this unbearable pain without helping me, would you?" Harry replied in a cocky manner.

Madam Pomfrey just huffed, went to her cabinet, and pulled out some dittany and silver before moving towards the bed where Harry set himself as soon as he saw Madam Pomfrey move.

"Now, this is a werewolf wound, which means it's infected with dark magic. Unfortunately for you, that means that it can't be healed completely and will leave a lasting scar, much like your scar from when you were stabbed by the basilisk's teeth."

As she heard this Hermione gasped and immediately her face contorted into a full glare that could rival the basilisk's one. " _ **THE WHAT!?**_ Harry James Potter! You tell me what Madam Pomfrey meant by that or I'll hex you until you can't remember your own name!"

Harry visibly cowered in his bed and had a sheepish look. "Well- when I told you that I went to the chamber of secrets and destroyed the diary, saving Ginny from Riddle. I may have forgotten a small detail or two along the way."

" _ **A SMALL DETAIL!?**_ That you were stabbed by the basilisk!?" The look that Harry gave her made her think that he'd never been more afraid of anything in his life, but she didn't care. She was furious with him and wouldn't let him off the hook that easily. "And don't give me that crap, Potter! I specifically asked you what happened with the basilisk and you told me that it was asleep."

"Well, I didn't want to worry you with the details, you had just been un-petrified," Harry replied sheepishly while avoiding Hermione's glare.

Hermione just huffed and sat down on the chair next to Harry's bed.

"Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one that's angry at you Potter, maybe you'll think twice before putting yourself in danger and invoking Miss Granger's wrath." Hermione blushed at that but still maintained her glare at Harry.

"Now, this is going to hurt a lot more than getting mauled by a werewolf, so be prepared. I'll need you to be still while I place the dittany-silver compound on your injuries, after I'm done you can move freely."

And with that, she grabbed the dittany and silver and combined them in a small bottle she brought with her. She emptied the contents on Harry's exposed chest and rubbed them through his injuries to make sure that she covered every area with the dittany-silver compound.

As Madam Pomfrey did this Harry's face contorted into a pained grimace that Hermione had never seen before, and immediately after she was done Harry started jerking violently and shouting.

" _ **FUCKING, MOTHERFUCKING SHIT! IT BURNS!**_ "

"Language, Potter, you're still in the infirmary!"

"It's not my fault! It burns really bad!"

"Good, maybe that way you won't lie to your best friend again" Hermione stated crossly.

Harry just glared at her while continuing to twitch violently. After 5 minutes Harry finally calmed down, carefully put on a shirt, and lay in silence in his bed. Madam Pomfrey gave them both chocolate, told them to eat it, and returned to her office.

Around fifteen minutes later, there was a lot of shouting coming from outside the medical wing. Madam Pomfrey stepped out of her office, irritation written all over her face.

"What are they doing! They're going to wake up the whole castle!"

She started walking towards the door to reprimand the people who were shouting but was startled when the infirmary's door flew open with Snape, Fudge, and Dumbledore stepping inside. Snape ran directly towards Harry, while Fudge and Dumbledore followed, trying to calm him down.

" _ **WHAT DID YOU DO YOU LITTLE SHIT!?**_ Where's Black!? Where did you set him off to!?" Snape roared at Harry

Before anyone else could talk Harry raised his hand, signaling to let him handle this, and with that everyone stayed quiet. He slowly and calmly sat up in his bed before he smirked at Snape and answered in a cool, calm voice. "Whatever do you mean professor? I've been here the whole time."

Hermione looked at Harry with an impressed and proud face which when Harry saw it made him smile more at Snape.

" _ **COME OFF WITH IT POTTER!**_ I know you helped Black escape! You and your little girlfriend, Granger!" As soon as he said that he grabbed harry's shirt and pulled him towards him. "What did you do with Black!"

"Professor Snape! Let go of my patient this instant before I permanently ban you from the infirmary!"

" _ **HE HELPED BLACK ESCAPE I KNOW IT!**_ "

"Severus, that's enough," Dumbledore said in a cool voice that showed it was a command rather than a request.

As soon as Snape let go of Harry, Dumbledore continued. "The door was clearly locked when we came here, there's no way that Harry could have left the infirmary," Dumbledore said with his signature twinkle in his eye while he was looking at Harry.

Hermione saw her opportunity to help Harry and spoke up. "That's right Professor, Harry has been inside the infirmary every second since Professor Snape brought him here."

Hermione convinced herself that she wasn't lying since there technically was a Harry every second in the infirmary since Snape brought him there.

Harry immediately saw this and continued. "Thank you so much for that by the way, professor. You really saved me tonight." Harry said in a bright voice that only Hermione understood was meant to be an insult. "I'm sorry for doubting you about Sirius, clearly he must've used some dark magic to escape. There's no other way he could've escaped here without it." Harry said cheekily and as soon as he finished he winked at Snape.

 _The nerve of him! What the hell is he thinking!?_ Hermione thought to herself, but then she realized what Harry knew. As long as Dumbledore, Fudge, and Madam Pomfrey were there, Snape couldn't touch Harry.

At that moment Snape looked murderous but did nothing except for bursting out of the infirmary. Dumbledore winked at Harry and Fudge looked very disturbed by the events he witnessed.

"He's a very disturbed individual. I'm not sure how I thought that he deserved the Order of Merlin only half an hour ago." Fudge exclaimed

"He's just having a bad night, Cornelius."

"He's not the only one, we had Black in our grasps and he escaped once again! When the prophet finds out about this there's going to be a scandal in the ministry!"

"And what about the dementors, Cornelious? Will they be removed from Hogwarts after nearly performing the kiss on Mister Potter?"

When she heard this, Hermione audibly gasped, she didn't realize that the dementors were about to perform the kiss on Harry when they were at the lake. For some reason, she didn't consider that a possibility. Knowing how close she was to losing Harry made Hermione want to cry, but she held back the tears and looked at Harry.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione said in a broken voice before she leapt from her chair and hugged Harry tightly while he was still laying down under the sheets from his bed, scared that she would lose him if she let him go. Harry just returned the hug in silence and comforted her with it.

Seeing Hermione's reaction, Dumbledore and Fudge decided it was best if they left the infirmary, while Madam Pomfrey decided to go back to her office.

Harry and Hermione just held on to each other, letting their embrace speak what they couldn't put in words. When Hermione slowly pulled out of the embrace she realized Harry had fallen asleep while they were hugging. He looked rather cute when he slept. She got off his bed and lay down on the one next to his, where she fell asleep almost instantly.


	4. Upcoming Threats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ok, I know it’s been over a week but for some reason I was having a lot of trouble with this chapter. It took me a while but with the help of my beta reader, HHrPie, it’s finally here, enjoy! I’ll try to upload more frequently like I promised last week. Currently writing Chapter 5 and have full outlines for the next 4 chapters.
> 
> Beta-Read by HHrPie

Harry woke up the next day and by the looks of it, it was close to afternoon. The sun was shining brightly inside the infirmary and Harry was blinded by its light, even when he had his eyes closed.

He slowly opened them and immediately looked around the room for Hermione. When Harry didn't find her he just assumed that she got up earlier and was probably studying for next year's classes. _After all, that's such a Hermione thing to do._ He thought fondly but was quickly brought out from his musings when Madam Pomfrey stepped out of her office and walked straight towards him.

"Good afternoon Potter, how are you feeling?" She asked while casting spells at him

"Well, I barely feel like I was mauled by a werewolf, so I guess I'm pretty sure that I'm good to get out of here." He replied with a smirk

Madam Pomfrey just scowled at him. "You may barely feel your injury Potter, but you'll always have the scar to remind you about what happens when you cross a werewolf's path on a full moon."

"I look forward to having it, maybe it will make me look cool and dangerous." He winked at her only to receive another scowl. "So am I good to go or have I not served my full sentence yet, warden?"

"You can go, Potter, but I recommend not doing anything dangerous before the term ends. You've been here enough times this year already."

"I won't promise anything."

And with that, he hastily jumped out of bed and made his way outside of the infirmary.

The hallways were empty, probably because everyone was spending their last few days outside or inside their common rooms. Harry heard his stomach rumble loudly and decided to head for lunch at the Great Hall.

As soon as he stepped into the Great Hall he was greeted by people staring at him with faces full of pity and fear. Harry didn't understand why people were staring at him but at this point, he was used to it, so he just shrugged it off and made his way to the Gryffindor table. He started eating and it took him a couple minutes to realize that everyone was still gazing at him. He quickly became annoyed by this fact and made it known to everyone.

"What's so interesting about me eating lunch!" Harry shouted at the hall and instantly everyone returned to their food.

He continued for about half an hour and stepped out of the Great Hall as soon as he was done, oblivious to the stares from the rest of the students as he left. He wanted to find Ron and Hermione so he began walking towards the Gryffindor Common Room but was intercepted by a bright looking Hagrid before he could get far from the Great Hall.

"Harry! It's good ter see yah. Why aren't yer with Ron and Hermione? I just saw them outside a couple of minutes ago."

"Oh, I just woke up and decided to have lunch before looking for them."

"Ah, after what happened last night I can't say I blame yeh fer that Harry."

Harry stopped breathing. Harry began to quickly ponder how Hagrid knew about last night only to be interrupted by Hagrid, who had noticed Harry's change of expression.

"It ain't easy healing from a werewolf injury, Harry."

"WHAT!? How do you know about that!?"

"Well the entire school knows Harry, it's hard ter miss with everyone talking about it."

Harry's heart stopped. _How could the whole school know about that!? Nobody was supposed to know!_

Hagrid, unaware of Harry's internal struggle, continued without a care in the world. "That's why Professor Lupin just resigned, now everyone knows that he's a werewolf and he injured yeh"

"WHAT!?"

Immediately after his cry left his mouth, Harry dashed towards Professor Lupin's office leaving Hagrid alone in the middle of the hallway. He ran as fast as he could, he couldn't lose the best DADA professor he's ever had and the last connection to his dad and Sirius.

Before he knew it he arrived at Professor Lupin's office. Everything was already packed in the trunks at the corner of his office where the Grindylow used to be, with only a modest briefcase opened in his desk with a few small personal possessions. The office looked empty and lifeless without Lupin's belongings decorating the room. He looked at Lupin only to see him looking extremely tired and worn out.

"Hello Harry," He couldn't even meet Harry's eye when he spoke to him. "I saw you coming." He pointed with his wand at the Marauder's Map.

"Professor, you can't resign! You're the best Professor we've had at Defense Against the Dark Arts! You can't leave now!"

Lupin looked taken aback, as if he expected a different reaction from Harry.

"Harry, you of all people should know why I have to leave. I'm not safe, I can attack another student if I stay." He still couldn't meet Harry's eye, instead, looking downwards at his briefcase. "Besides, after Professor Snape 'accidentally' let slip out the fact that I was a werewolf and I attacked you last night the parents will be outraged that Dumbledore let a werewolf teach their kids."

Harry was livid. Snape was the one that told everyone about Lupin. He had never hated Snape as much as he did know. He had never hated anyone, not even Voldemort, as much as he hated Snape now.

"Professor, pardon my french. But fuck that and fuck them!"

Lupin finally looked at Harry and gave him an appreciative smile. Harry didn't miss it but continued, still angry that Lupin could be leaving.

"I know you weren't yourself when you attacked me and I know that it was an accident that you forgot to take your potion." He continued while looking at Lupin's eyes with fierce determination. "Even so, I was the one who was attacked, the other parents don't have a right to be outraged about it. I'm not their responsibility and I don't care that you injured me, I can't even feel it anymore!"

"Harry, I could've easily attacked any student. The parents won't want a werewolf teaching their kids, and I honestly can't blame them."

Harry was about to interrupt only to be stopped by Lupin raising his hand motioning to let him finish.

"You don't know how much it means to me that you're not judging me for attacking you, Harry. But that doesn't change the fact that I have to leave. Unfortunately, me living alone and unable to harm anyone is for the best."

"Professor, you can't give up! You still have a right to have a life, to have a job, a family, a girlfriend for Merlin's sake!"

Lupin just smiled fondly at Harry.

"You mean like you and Miss Granger?" He asked with a knowing smile.

Harry blushed a deep red and stammered a few things before he could finally talk straight.

"What!? Professor, me and Hermione are just friends."

Lupin just laughed as if Harry had told him about a Marauder worthy prank.

"Come on Harry. Even James wasn't this oblivious. Have you seen the way she looks at you? The way you look at her?" Lupin said with what Harry assumed was the Marauder's signature smirk.

Harry just blushed at Lupin's words. Did he fancy Hermione? Did Hermione fancy him?

 _Of course not Potter? How could Hermione fancy you, she's brilliant and pretty enough to get any guy she wants. Why would she want you?_ A voice inside Harry told him and at the same time inadvertently answered his first question to him.

He **did** fancy Hermione.

As Harry's face turned to one of a sudden realization Lupin just smiled at him, walked towards him and knelt to his level, placing an arm in his shoulder.

"A bit of advice Harry, don't waste more time than you already have."

As soon as he said it Harry blushed harder than he had ever done in his life. Lupin just laughed at him before turning his face into a serious one again.

"I'm sorry about what happened with Pettigrew, Harry. I can't believe the rat escaped from us again!" He finished in a bitter tone.

Lupin's words immediately reminded Harry about Trelawney's prophecy from yesterday, he all but heard it again in his mind. " _The servant will break free and set to rejoin his master. The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than ever before."_

Before he could continue to think about the prophecy Dumbledore arrived at Lupin's office, smiling gently at Lupin.

"Remus, I trust you have everything ready?"

"Yes Headmaster, I'm ready to go."

"And I trust that I can't convince you to continue with your post next year?"

"Unfortunately not, Headmaster."

Dumbledore sighed sadly before he continued.

"Well then, I'll wait outside for you and Mr Potter to finish your conversation."

And with that he stepped out of the office, leaving Harry and Lupin alone once again. Lupin turned towards Harry with a small smile.

"Do yourself a favour Harry, don't be an idiot about Hermione, you deserve each other." Harry blushed again but Lupin ignored him. "Now, as I'm no longer your teacher I have absolutely no problem giving this back to you." He pointed his wand at the map and said "Mischief Managed."

As soon as he said that, the map started to turn into a blank piece of parchment. After the process was finished in a few seconds, Lupin grabbed it and gave it to Harry.

Before Harry could ask him if he was sure or even thanked him for it, Lupin spoke again.

"If you ever wish to participate in… _extracurricular_ activities with Miss Granger, I know the perfect place. Just pace in front of the wall opposite the tapestry of the dancing trolls on the seventh floor and think about what a room you want." He continued with his smirk. "We used it a lot during our Hogwarts years for our own… _extracurricular_ activities."

He winked at Harry, levitated his trunks, opened the door to his office, and stepped outside. Harry just blushed furiously and hoping against hope that his Dad and the others meant pranking and not other...things. He couldn't get rid of the image of him and Hermione together in that way, nor did he want to.

Unfortunately, the image left him as he sadly watched Lupin depart his office one last time.

After Lupin was out of view Dumbledore stepped back into his office and gave Harry a gentle smile.

"Why are you looking so miserable Harry?" Dumbledore spoke softly to Harry. "You should be proud, after everything you did last night."

"Why should I be, it didn't make any difference. Pettigrew escaped, Sirius is still a fugitive, and now Professor Lupin's gone."

"It didn't make any difference Harry?" Dumbledore spoke with a slightly surprised yet gentle tone. "You managed to uncover the truth and save an innocent man from a terrible fate. If you only focus on your failures, however small they are, you'll never be able to realize how much you've truly accomplished."

Harry felt a little bit better at Dumbledore's words, but Trelawney's prophecy was still on his mind, not letting him fully accept last night as a victory.

"Professor, do you think there are such things as prophecies?"

Harry could've sworn that Dumbledore's expression turned into one of fear for a millisecond before turning back to his usual calm expression.

"I don't believe that everything said by seers like Professor Trelawney is accurate to what is going to happen, but I do believe that every once in a while they'll make an accurate prophecy about the future. Why do you ask, Harry?"

"Well, it's just that yesterday, during my Divination exam, Professor Trelawney made a prophecy. But it wasn't like her usual prophecies, this time her expression and voice were different, a bit scary if I'm being honest."

Dumbledore chuckled at this and motioned for Harry to continue.

"Well, Professor Trelawney's prophecy said that Voldemort's loyal follower will escape, last night that is, and rejoin his master. And that with his help, Voldemort will come back."

As he said this Dumbledore gave a long sigh.

"Unfortunately Harry, I do believe that Professor Trelawney might have made an actual prophecy yesterday. One which you were privileged to witness."

"So it's true then! Voldemort will return soon!?"

"I'm afraid so, Harry. I always knew that Tom would come back eventually, but I always hoped that we could slow him down as much as possible before he could," Dumbledore said with sadness in his voice.

Harry was shocked. Voldemort, the man that had killed Harry's parents, the man that had almost killed him when he stopped him from getting the philosopher's stone and when he tried to stop him from possessing Ginny was coming back. And he couldn't do anything to stop him.

"Professor, when he comes back, he'll come for me won't he? He'll try to- to kill me?" Harry's voice betrayed the fear he felt.

Harry knew the answer before Dumbledore could give it to him.

"I'm afraid so, Harry. When you stopped him all those years ago at Godric's hollow and even a couple years ago right here at Hogwarts, you directly challenged Tom. And unfortunately, Tom doesn't take well to people challenging him."

Harry felt his breathing quicken, his heart pounding in his chest. And why wouldn't it? After all, Voldemort, the most powerful dark wizard that had ever lived, would actively try to kill Harry and he was powerless to stop him. After all, he was just a third year with mediocre marks, he wouldn't even last a second against him in a duel.

Dumbledore, seeing Harry's face full of fear, knelt down and gently grabbed his shoulders.

"Harry, that could still happen in a couple of years. And even so, when it does happen I promise that I'll do everything in my power to protect you."

Harry could only nod at this. After a couple seconds of quiet, while he was thinking how to best prepare for his upcoming confrontation with Voldemort, he spoke again.

"Thank you, Professor, I'm going to go to my common room now." Harry quickly lied and without waiting for Dumbledore to respond to him, he made his way out of the office and to the see professor McGonagall.

While he was walking there Harry couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened. Voldemort would return and personally target him, try to kill him. Harry had never felt so afraid in his life. All the bliss he had experienced the night before, all the happiness he could've sworn would last him a lifetime was suddenly gone.

Then he thought about Hermione and Ron, would they leave him when they find out that Harry was going to be targeted by Voldemort? Would they stop wanting to hang out with him after realising that he would endanger their life? The selfless part of Harry wanted them to stay away but the selfish part in him didn't allow him to follow up on that. Not after what he felt last night and certainly not after realizing he had a crush on Hermione.

So he decided that he wouldn't push them away, he couldn't lose his best friends. But he had to start taking things seriously, if he wanted to survive Voldemort and make sure that he doesn't hurt Hermione, Ron, or any of the people he loved he needed to become someone else. He couldn't go back to being the Harry that didn't care about classes because it was too much work for him to apply himself. After all, he had the most dangerous wizard gunning for his head.

Harry reached Professor McGonagall's door and knocked. He was sure what he wanted to ask her but he didn't know how to make the conversation lead there naturally.

"Enter." Professor McGonagall's voice called from inside.

Harry pushed all thoughts of Voldemort away for a second, calmed down, and tried his best to act like his usual self. He opened the door to be greeted by Professor McGonagall sitting in her desk, grading final exams by the looks of it. He closed the door and before Professor McGonagall could invite him to sit down, he took his seat in front of her.

"Potter, if this is about you're exam results I ca-"

"No Professor," Harry quickly interrupted. He decided to move forward with his ill-conceived plan even if he wasn't sure if it would work. "I actually wanted to talk to you about the electives. I'm curious about their purpose in terms of our future."

McGonagall shot Harry a suspicious look but answered his question.

"Well Mr. Potter, the electives are important in deciding what career you're going to be focusing on after your O.W.Ls , there are some careers that require O.W.Ls in certain electives."

"Is there somewhere that explains the requirements for each career, Professor?"

She once again narrowed her eyes at him but obliged, Harry knew that he would have to end her suspicions soon. McGonagall reached into her drawer, pulled out a paper, and handed it to Harry.

Harry examined the paper closely and finally found what he was looking for:

_Auror_

_An Auror is a profession for wizards and witches_ _who act as highly trained law enforcement officials for magical governments._

_Requirements:_

_At least 5 N.E.W.T.S. above Exceeds Expectations_

_Recommended Subjects for N.E.W.T.S:_

_Defence Against The Dark Arts_

_Charms_

_Transfiguration_

_Potions_

Harry was pleased that all the recommended subjects were not electives. He also noted that there were only 4 out of 5 recommended subjects, so as long as he had an Exceeds Expectations in any other subject he would be fine. He could focus solely on the four recommended subjects to be able to become an auror. He could even take thinking about sitting with Hermione and learning Runes made his heart flutter.

He handed back the paper to McGonagall.

"Thank you, Professor,"

And with that, he stood up and made for the door only to be stopped by McGonagall's voice

"Potter, are you not going to change electives to satisfy your career choice." Her tone carrying the suspicion that her face showed

This was his moment to lower her suspicions.

"Well Professor, since the career I'm planning on choosing doesn't require any electives specifically I don't think I will. You know me, Professor, I don't do more work than I need to." He said cheekily only to be scowled at.

"I see that Miss Granger's influence hasn't changed your thoughts on your studies, Potter."

"Fortunately not, Professor."

Of course, he would love to change his electives to impress Hermione. Maybe that would change their relationship. But his focus was on the fight against Voldemort.

With that, he stepped out of the office and began to walk towards the place Lupin told him about only minutes before, he was too curious not to try it out.

This summer he would need to focus solely on becoming the best at Defense Against the Dark Arts to stand a chance against Voldemort. He wanted to change to Runes, but he needed to study over the summers and pass an exam to be with Hermione's class, and he certainly would want to be with her if he chose to take Runes. The thought of spending time alone with Hermione made Harry's heart do summersaults.

Harry reached the wall in front of the tapestry of the dancing trolls and thought for a second what he should ask for. He decided to go with Professor Lupin's suggestion and asked for a place for him and Hermione to spend time alone.

He paced in front of the wall asking for it and was surprised when suddenly a door appeared on the wall. He reached for the handle and opened the door, to find a really small version of the Gryffindor common room, not even the size of his room at the Dursleys, with one love seat in front of a fireplace. Suddenly, mental images of Hermione snogging Harry senseless flooded Harry's mind and he couldn't stop the boyish grin in his face nor the bright red blush from covering what he thought was his whole body. He made a mental note that if he ever actually gained the courage to kiss Hermione, he knew the perfect place.

He decided to head for the common room while pondering about the room. It certainly would be extremely useful, and not just for some… _alone time_ with Hermione.

As he headed towards the common room he couldn't get that picture from his head, Hermione snogging him senseless. He felt his insides do all types of acrobatics inside of him and had a boyish grin on his face.

Before he knew it, Harry stepped into the common room to be greeted by the sight of Ron and Hermione talking while sitting on the couch they often appropriated when the three of them were in the common room.

He hoped that he could avoid talking to them for some time, especially Hermione since he couldn't stop thinking about them in compromising actions.

He wasn't going to push them away, but Harry couldn't tell them what he was doing. He couldn't tell them about the prophecy or that he had planned on starting training on DADA and focusing on improving as much as he could.

As soon as Hermione saw Harry she got up from the couch and walked towards him.

"Hey, Harry!" Her tone made Harry's insides continue to do backflips, something he found rather pleasant. "Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you. Have you heard about Professor Lupin?"

"Yeah, I heard about it." He replied in a sad voice, but he was still blushing and couldn't meet Hermione's eye. "I was actually just with him, we talked a little before he left."

"Really? What did you talk about?" Harry could see that she eyed him suspiciously, probably because he wasn't looking at her.

"Nothing important really." Harry lied quickly, his face and neck now red from his constant blushing. "Anyways, I have to go to my dorm real quick. I'll see you two later."

And before either Ron or Hermione could say anything, he pretty much sprinted up the stairs and to his room. When he entered the room he shut the door and made for his bed, where he also shut the privacy curtains.

Suddenly he heard the door open rather briskly.

"Harry, you good mate?"

He instantly recognized him as Ron's voice, gave a quiet sigh, and opened the privacy curtains from his bed.

"All good," He gave Ron a small smile. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason. Mainly that your face is redder than my hair right now" He gave a small smirk

Harry just blushed harder at Ron's remark and the redhead just laughed at him.

"It's nothing, it's just. What do you think about Hermione?"

Ron gave him an odd look. "What can I say, she's our annoying, bossy, know it all best friend. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know, I think that maybe I fancy her."

"You fancy Hermione?" Ron asked in a strangled voice.

Harry grabbed all of his Gryffindor courage and looked directly at his friend's eyes, determination radiating from him.

"Yes, Ron. I fancy Hermione." Harry said in a determined voice, but he couldn't escape pleading with his friend. "Just please don't tell her."

Ron took a few seconds before he laughed. Harry just glared at Ron until he stopped.

"Fine Harry, I won't tell her." He continued to laugh. "I just don't know what you see in her. What are you going to do about it?"

"I was thinking about learning Runes to impress her...don't you dare laugh Ron, if you do I am so going to hex you."

"...I might let it slip to Hermione that you have a crush on her then" Harry didn't like the wicked smile on Ron's face at all. He really shouldn't have told Ron about his crush on Hermione. He was going to be teased so much.

"Alright alright. Don't look at me like that. Tell you what, I am going to help you. Whenever you moon at Hermione I will snap you out of it, hell I will even distract Hermione while you are off learning Runes, I still can't believe you are doing that."

"Thanks Ron, you are the best."

"Oh really? I thought Hermione was the best."

He really was regretting telling Ron about his crush on Hermione.

* * *

Harry had been disappearing a lot lately. He would be gone before she woke up and then only appeared for breakfast. Whenever she tried to confront him he would go red in the face and Ron would pull him into talking about Quidditch with him which he would do despite her glaring at him. Then he would spend hours talking to Ron.

She had caught him looking at her with a grin many times and was afraid he and Ron were planning to prank her. She had confronted Ron various times about Harry throughout the past few days but he always said that Harry was fine and that there was nothing to worry about. Clearly Ron knew something and wasn't telling Hermione.

Hermione knew that something was off about Harry and she missed spending time with him, it had been only four days of this routine but she still missed him. She knew that something had changed between them the night they saved Sirius, she could still feel it when they spent some time together, even if it was such a small amount of time.

But Harry was acting more distant than ever. That hurt Hermione, it was as if he was hiding a secret from her. Well, not " _as if"_ , he was definitely hiding something from her. _Maybe this is what Harry and Ron felt when I was hiding my time turner from them._ Hermione thought to herself.

Today was their last free day since they would take the Hogwarts Express tomorrow and part ways for the summer. She hated that Harry had to go back to the Dursleys. Harry hadn't told her much about what happened to him there, but he didn't need to for her to hate the Dursleys. Just thinking about them made Harry look angry and fearful at the same time.

 _I'm going to hex them senselessly for hurting my Harry as soon as I can do magic outside of school_. Hermione thought to herself, completely oblivious to the fact that she just referred to Harry as ' _her Harry'_.

Last night she had decided that she was going to stay up all night if she had to, to catch Harry. Her yearning to solve Harry's secret was at its highest point since it had started.

So she moved a couch and placed it in front of the portrait, she also moved a chair where she placed a couple of books she had brought downstairs and the multitude of coffees that she had prepared to stay awake all night.

It was five in the morning and the sunlight was just reaching the windows of the tower. She knew that she should be more alert for Harry now, so she used a heating charm and drank the two coffees that she had saved for this moment. She was determined to find out what Harry's secret was.

It was about half an hour later that she heard someone coming from the boys dorm staircase, when the sound stopped and she didn't see anyone there she was sure that Harry was there underneath the cloak.

"Hello Harry," She started conversationally. "Why don't you take off your cloak, I know you're there."

Harry must've known that there was no way that he could sneak past Hermione so he took off his cloak and just stood there, not looking at her and his face turning red..

"So," She continued once he was visible. "Where are we going on this lovely morning?"

"Well.. um… I was just… you know… going for a morning run..?"

"I'll come with!" She said brightly and made to gather her stuff but stopped when Harry spoke again.

"Oh- umm.. Yeah.. I-I think I'm too tired now. No to mention it's pretty early. I'll just err head to the bathroom outside and come back here."

"Do you think I'm stupid enough to but that Harry?" She said in an indignant voice. "You're going to go somewhere and disappear as soon as you get out of the common room."

Before Harry could answer back she continued.

"Harry… why are you hiding things from me?" She couldn't keep the hurt from her voice and at this point.

Harry stopped short and he struggled to say something. His face turned red, more so than she had ever seen. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before murmuring something she couldn't hear.

"Hermione..I..I.. like…... Runes" He finally blurted out.

This was definitely not what she expected, not by a long shot.

"You like Runes?" Hermione couldn't keep her suspicions from her voice. Harry stood still, looking at her with his mouth still open. He closed his mouth and gulped.

"Yeah...after I read your book the other day I realized that I really liked them," He stuttered out his face reddening even more.

Hermione couldn't stop herself from giggling. For some reason looking at Harry standing there red in the face made her insides shiver pleasantly.

"So what have you been doing? Sneaking out at the before dawn to study runes?"

"Yeah.."

"Why didn't you tell me? I could have helped. Was it because you were afraid that I would tease you?"

"Does that mean you won't tease me?"

The hopeful look on his face only made her giggle harder. "Of course not. I am going to tease you mercilessly. Though.." she put her finger on her cheek and looked at Harry nervously shuffling his feet. She stepped closer to him "I might lessen the amount of teasing if you sit down with me and let me teach you."

Harry looked down at his feet and murmured his consent, or at least she thought he did.

Hermione gave him a big smile and pulled him towards the couch. She was pretty sure she heard a squeak when they sat down but chalked it up to her imagination. She really should go to sleep, she was so tired, she tried to stifle a yawn but failed miserably.

She was about to ask Harry how much he knew when she caught him frowning at her.

"Have you been up all night, Hermione?"

Before she could reply he cut her off, "Of course you have been, who am I kidding? Go sleep Hermione, I promise I will let you teach me once you have slept..." He trailed off as she glared at him. She picked up her Runes book and put it in front of Harry and told him to start reading it out loud. As Harry recited it she closed her eyes to rest them. Staying awake all night was definitely not a good idea. She didn't even realize when she dozed off.

* * *

Harry stiffened when he felt Hermione's head fall on his shoulder. His mind blanked and he couldn't focus on anything but the feeling of her breath on his chin. His breath hitched and thoughts of spending time in the room with Hermione snuggled against his side formed in his mind. Hermione moved and snuggled even deeper into his side and he prayed to anyone hearing for no one to walk down the stairs at this moment. He didn't know if it was because of all the teasing he would receive if someone saw him and Hermione like this or if it was so that he could spend time with Hermione cuddled into his side.

He groaned. He was crushing hard on Hermione. They haven't even started dating yet and he couldn't even look at her before grinning like a loon and blushing like Ginny did when she saw him, he really wished Ron hadn't pointed that out. He had been teasing him every chance he got and had taken to sighing dreamily and pretending to put his elbows in a platter of butter whenever he caught him looking, alright staring at Hermione. And it was driving him mad.

* * *

Hermione shifted once again and he whimpered, he didn't have to worry about Ron, with the way Hermione is moving against him he didn't think he would be able to survive till sunrise.

She woke up with pain in her neck and her face pressed against something hard. Her face grimaced as she shifted to get more comfortable and heard a squeak in her ear. Her eyes shot open and she fell onto the floor in her attempt to move away from the sound.

She looked up and saw Harry sitting on the couch, his face red and looking not looking at her. Her own face burned up when she worked out that she must have dozed off and her head must have fallen onto his stared at each other, their faces red before Harry stood up and dashed out of the common room. She picked herself up, mortified at what happened and wishing that she had listened to Harry and gone up to sleep.

Harry came back for Lunch as he usually did but this time she didn't try to grill him about where he had been. Ron seemed to notice this too and had a smug look on his face. She glared at him, hard which caused his face to break out in a smirk. She couldn't look at Harry without her face turning red from remembering what happened that morning. She couldn't wait for the day to end so that she could pretend that this never happened. She was glad no one caught her sleeping against Harry, she would have never heard the end of it.

* * *

They were at the Hogwarts Express. It would still be a few hours before they arrived at King's Cross, a few hours to spend with his best friends for the last time. As much as he wished that he had spent more time with them, he knew that he needed to study and plan for the summer. Yeah that was why he didn't spend time with Ron and Hermione. It had nothing to do with him unable to look at Hermione without blushing or Ron teasing him mercilessly about his crush on her.

His mood plummeted when he thought how close he had come to having everything he wanted. He could have lived with Sirius and gotten away from the Dursleys, but everything came crashing down as soon as the hope bubbled in Harry's mind.

Ron was sleeping next to him and Hermione was in front of him, 'reading' her book. She hadn't turned her page in the last ten minutes and he had caught her glancing at him every 30 seconds or so. His stomach fluttered at that thought. It looked like she had a crush on him too. He couldn't stop the goofy grin that broke out on his face.

He looked out of the window and thought about his plans for the summer that he had concocted exhaustively during his many hours at the room. At this point, he had a whole schedule for his first month of vacations, up until his birthday. He knew that if he played his cards right, the power balance at the Dursleys would heavily shift towards him. His Slytherin side, which he was sure he had since he was nearly sorted into Slytherin, was actually really proud of his plan. _It's going to be a really fun summer!_ He thought with a slight grin on his face.

But he would still miss Ron and Hermione. Ron had just invited them to the Quidditch World Cup, which would take place in mid August. It was a long time before he would see them, and that's if Mr Weasley managed to get the tickets.

He glanced back at Hermione and caught her full on staring at him and decided to have some revenge for the torture he had to go through when Hermione fell asleep against him.

"Something on my face, Hermione?" He asked cheekily.

Hermione squeaked and hid her blushing face behind her book. He was going to continue teasing her but she was saved due as an owl just appeared on the window and tapped it with his beak. Hermione scooted towards it and opened it. The small owl quickly flew inside and crashed at the glass door from the compartment.

Harry couldn't help but laugh, only to see Hermione shake his head at him in mock disbelief. That caused him to continue laughing even harder. After he was done and Ron was woken up by him he proceeded to grab the envelope directed to him, pulled out the letter, and started to read it.

_Harry,_

_You'l be happy to kno that me, with Moony's help, have found a safe place to stay while still being as close as possible to you. Originlly I had planned to get out of the country as far away as I could but after talking to Moony [Yes, after he left Hogwarts we met and had some chats, including one about you and Hermione ;)] we decide that we should make up for lost time and be there for you as possible._

_Unfortunately, we can't tell where we are, but I'll have Moony give you a present I have planned for you as soon as I find it._

_Moony will be living with me here so I won't be completely alone, Buckbeak will also be staying here too. Moony is here as well. Hopefully we can see each other in person this summer, but if not I promise you that next summer you'l spend some time here._

_Anyways, we'l keep in touch with you, just remember to use our Marauder names in case the letters are intercepted. Since you don't have one you'll just have to get used to being the only one without a cool nickname. Will try our best to keep in touch._

_I also feel bad about costing your friend Ron his pet, so tell him that he can keep the owl, I'l find another one to write to you. He doesn't have a name yet so he can name him whatever he wants._

_It was good to finally meet you, Harry. We'll see each other again soon. Moony also sends his regards. If you need anything, don't hesitate to owl me._

_P.S. Don't be a twat Harry, take Moony's advice_

_P.P.S You'll find a small present for next year in the card, I'm sure Dumbledore will accept it without causing you any trouble._

_Your dogfather and favorite Marauder_

_Padfoot_

Harry couldn't help but blush at the fact that Lupin and Sirius were talking about him and Hermione. He glanced up at Hermione and caught her back to staring at him and decided to do something before they went their ways later today. There was no way he was going to do anything in front of Ron, he teased him enough as it was.

He was worried about Sirius though,the writing was shaky and almost unreadable. There were mistakes and repetitions,he hoped that was only because he hadn't written in more than a decade and not because of the dementors's affect on him. He snapped out of the morbid thoughts and quickly grabbed the envelope and saw a small paper inside it. He pulled it out and silently read it.

_I, Sirius Orion Black, Harry Potter's godfather, hereby give him permission to visit Hogsmeade on the weekends._

His mood brightened, Sirius and Professor Lupin would be close by and would constantly owl him. And if his plan went well, he wouldn't be at the misery of the Dursleys anymore, this would be the best summer he'd ever had.

As soon as he saw Ron and Hermione reach for the letter he panicked and grabbed it before either of them could.

"Oi, that's private!"

"Merlin Harry fine! Could you at least tell us what it says?" Ron replied, slightly put out by Harry not letting him read the letter.

"Well, basically. Sirius is safe and in hiding with Professor Lupin, they promised to stay in contact during the summer, and stuff like that. Oh and Ron," Harry called out to Ron before he could go back to his sleeping position. "Sirius said you could keep the owl."

Ron's eyes widen at Harry's words. "Really? Me? Keep the owl?" When Harry nodded he gave a loud whoop and laughed. "Oh everyone is going to be so jealous that I have my own owl!" He continued laughing but Harry ignored him. He chose to look at Hermione who looked slightly suspiciously at him.

But whatever she suspected she didn't say, opting to give him a small smile and spoke to him as soon as Ron stopped laughing.

"That's great, Harry! Hopefully, you'll write more this summer, and not just to Sirius and Professor Lupin!" She said in a hopeful tone

"You're right, Hermione." Harry began teasing. "I should probably send a lot of letters to everyone. Ron, Neville, all the Quidditch team, Dean, Seamus, Malfoy, maybe I'll even send a couple to Snape."

Hermione just huffed and glared at him. "And what about me?"

"Well… I guess I could send you one or two short letters to see if you're still up and kicking." He replied with a smirk.

Hermione just huffed again and continued to glare at him, which caused Harry to start laughing. Ron joined in and Hermione just sat there pouting cutely. After what seemed like more than five continuous minutes of pure laughter from Harry he reassured Hermione.

"I'm only joking, Hermione, of course I'll write to you." He replied with a smile.

"Every week?"

"Every couple of days." He tried to stop himself from teasing her but just couldn't and continued. "After all, I'm going to need someone to check my homework, won't I?" He said and burst out laughing at the look on her face.

The rest of the train ride went by pretty quickly after that and before he knew it he was walking towards the exit to Platform 9 and ¾. He and Hermione had just said goodbye to the Weasleys and walked together to the exit.

As soon as they were out of Platform 9 and ¾, Hermione immediately began looking for her parents. Since Harry wasn't in any rush to go with the Dursleys he decided to follow her. After a couple minutes Hermione had found them, Harry knew this because of the loud shout that came from his left side.

"Mum! Dad!"

Harry saw Hermione leave her things by Harry's side and rush to her parents. As soon as she reached them she gave them her signature bear hug and they returned it in full force. _Well, she had to learn it from somewhere_. Harry thought to himself.

Harry watched the moment with a melancholic face. He didn't want to intrude on it so he decided to watch sheepishly a couple of meters behind them. Once Hermione finished she turned to look at Harry, shook her head in disbelief, and rolled her eyes. She walked towards him with a smirk.

"So, Harry Potter, the person that faced a sixty foot basilisk and over a hundred dementors, is scared of saying hello to my parents?" She said cheekily

Harry could only mock glare at her before she grabbed his hand and forced him to move towards her parents. He saw them staring at them with a puzzled look on their faces, which only made Harry more nervous than he already was. Hermione ignored their looks and introduced him.

"Mum. Dad. This is Harry Potter, my best friend."

Harry's face blushed red but he conjured all of his Gryffindor courage and spoke.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs Granger." He said sheepishly while Hermione laughed at him.

"Hello Harry," Hermione's mother began with a smirk directed at her daughter. "Of course we know everything about you. Hermione never stops talking about you."

"Mum!" Was all Hermione could say before Harry began laughing.

As soon as he stopped laughing he teased her. "So, you can't seem to shut up about me, huh?"

"Oh shove off, Potter." That only caused Harry and the elder Grangers to laugh at Hermione, she blushed a furious red and just glared at him.

Harry's blissful moment ended as soon as he heard the hated voice he knew would greet him at King's Cross.

"Boy! Stop wasting our time! Let's go!"

At the sound of that voice Harry's expression darkened into one of pure loathing in less than a second, something that the 3 Granger's didn't fail to notice. As much as he wanted to lash out at his uncle right here and now, he knew it would be better to wait until he was home. After all, he would enjoy what came next.

He changed his expression into a neutral one and looked at Hermione's parents, they looked at him with concern in their eyes while Hermione was glaring at his uncle.

"I'm sorry, but I really must be going now." He said to them before turning to Hermione. "Do keep in touch, I'll miss you."

And with that he did what he had wanted to do ever since their moment during the time turner adventure, he kissed her on the cheek. When he stepped back he saw Hermione's blush and just smiled at her.

"Goodbye, Hermione."

He grabbed his stuff and made his way towards his aunt and uncle. He was going to have so much fun with them this summer.


	5. Time To Grow Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta-Read by HHrPie

Harry was on the backseat of the Dursley's car, patiently waiting for him to arrive at the house or at least close enough to it. On the front seats were his Uncle and Aunt on the driver and passenger seat respectively. His Uncle was yelling complaints about everything and anything he could, often mentioning the inconvenience of having to go all the way to King's Cross to pick him up. His Aunt was ignoring him, something Harry was more than used to and usually happy when she did. But not today. Today he was going to make sure that none of the Dursleys would avoid what's coming to them.

Before Harry knew it they were arriving at the place he hated the most, Number 4 Privet Drive. Uncle Vernon quickly, and messily, parked the car and was about to exit the car before he turned to look at Harry and barked.

"Boy! I want your stuff back in the cupboard before you go and make us dinner!"

"No, I don't think that's going to happen. I'll be in my room, waiting for you to bring my trunks and Hedwig. After that I expect dinner to be ready, I grew fond of lasagna back when I was at Hogwarts so you could make that today, Aunt Petunia."

Uncle Vernon's face turned bright red with anger and whispered furiously.

"YOU INSOLENT NO GOOD ARROGANT BOY! YOU DARE SPEAK TO US LIKE THAT!"

"Yes. I dare." Harry's tone turned into a cold one as he put his hands inside his pockets as they started shaking a little. "If you don't do everything I say throughout my time here I promise you that you'll regret it."

"AND WHY IS THAT BOY!" spit was flying from his mouth as his face turned purple.

Harry gave a fake smirk and continued, "Because, I finally met my godfather about a week ago." Harry ignored his uncle's confused look and continued. "You see, he wanted me to go and live with him, but there's the little fact that he's on the run that prevents me from going with him. You see, 13 years ago he killed 12 muggles, he escaped from the wizard's jail about a year ago. You may have heard of him. Sirius Black?"

Harry couldn't stop a grin from growing in his face when he saw his aunt's terrified face and his uncle's face that betrayed the sudden realization.

"So, since I couldn't go with him he told me to keep him posted about my time here with you. Apparently, he was watching you this past summer and how you treated me and he wasn't very pleased with it. He told me that if he didn't receive a letter every couple of days, a letter that mentioned how well I'm being treated, that is. He'll come here and… well, have a bit of fun, if you catch my drift." He winked at them.

Harry saw that his Uncle was about to lose control and start shouting at him but was interrupted when Aunt Petunia grabbed his shoulder firmly. Uncle Vernon turned to look at her, his angry expression hadn't faltered.

"Vernon-"

"He's lying Petunia! If he really had a godfather we would've known!"

"Vernon, he's not lying. I remember Lily talking about Potter and his friend Sirius Black when she returned for the summers. The boy is telling the truth."

"Well, I'm glad someone here has some brains." Harry gave another fake smirk at them and continued. "I recommend not doing anything stupid like calling anyone for help, Sirius happens to be an extremely powerful wizard. Few people can stop him, especially when he's angry."

Harry was about to leave the car when he realized he unconsciously cornered himself and was extremely close to the door. He stepped out of the car and went inside the house. Instead of going to his room, he decided to head to the kitchen where he opened the fridge and saw some chocolates. Knowing that would irritate Dudley, he immediately grabbed them, sat on Dudley's chair, and put his feet on the table, hoping that his confident stance would drown the fear and nervousness he felt as he finally confronted his tormentors.

He knew his plan would work, he had planned for it meticulously during many hours in the room at Hogwarts, he even had backups and ways to prove Sirus's identity. But he still could not stop the fear he felt as he finally stood up to the Dursleys.

His plan wasn't perfect and there could be ways that it failed, which made Harry afraid that his relatives would realize that, so he had to give a little white lie for his plan to work. He doubted his Aunt and Uncle would push him to actually tell Sirius, but that didn't stop him from shivering at the thought that they might. And even if he did tell him, Sirius would find the prank amusing and find a way to come here and threaten the Dursleys.

He spotted his Aunt and Uncle going upstairs with his trunks and Dudley coming downstairs from his room and rushed towards him as soon as he spotted him.

"What do you think you're doing! Those are mine."

Dudley made to grab the chocolates from Harry's still shaking hand but he was too quick and pulled the chocolates away. He could deal with this, it was only Dudley and he had never been that afraid of him or his gang.

Harry tuted at Dudley before he spoke confidently. "Poor Ickle Diddykins, I think you've had enough chocolates and your doctor would agree. It's a wonder he hasn't put you on a diet yet, you weigh as much as a small whale."

Dudley's face turned red and he opened his mouth but he cut him off.

"Wait, don't tell me your doctor actually put you on a diet?! He did, didn't he." he snickered at the thought of Dudley trying to lose weight.

Before Dudley could come up with a retort Aunt Petunia rushed to his side and started pushing him outside the room. As soon as Dudley and Aunt Petunia were outside Uncle Vernon stepped inside the kitchen, his face contorted in rage. Harry wasn't going to miss every chance he could to take his revenge on the Dursleys.

"What's wrong Vernon? Got anything to say?" Harry was a lot less confident now that he was in Uncle Vernon's presence. When his uncle made no sound he felt a wave of relief go through him. His plan had worked. His voice was confident, he didn't have to fake it anymore. "Didn't think so."

His Uncle gave him a murderous look which made Harry shiver. As long as he had the threat of Sirius, they couldn't touch him. If they did try it wouldn't end well for them. Harry was actually starting to think that Sirius would actually commit one of the murders he was sentenced for if something happened to him.

"Things around here are going to change Vernon.

"You or your elephant of a son, lay as much as a finger on me? Sirius gets a letter.

"You try to lock me in my room? Sirius gets a letter.

"You try to starve me to death? Sirius gets a letter.

"You even think about having me as your slave again? Sirius gets a letter.

"And remember, if Sirius doesn't get a letter from me every couple of days giving him the all clear, Sirius gets the message and finds you, wherever you may be. After all, he's a wizard and there are very simple spells to track you down. Do I make myself clear?"

Uncle Vernon could only nod, Harry was sure his rage wouldn't let him say anything without lashing out at him.

"Good, do tell the others. I don't like repeating myself."

He threw the chocolate wrappers to the floor, removed his feet from the table, and headed towards the stairs. But before Harry got up the stairs he turned to his Aunt.

"I expect dinner to be ready in less than half an hour. I'm famished."

He sped up the stairs, ran inside his room, and closed the door. As soon as he felt relatively safe he laid down on his bed as the fear and nervousness he felt from the interaction finally boiled to the surface. Harry didn't know why he felt all of that, after all, he had faced worse things than the Dursleys these past 3 years. But he couldn't help but feel afraid every time his Uncle raised his voice or moved towards him. _If I can't even deal with the Dursleys without cowering in fear, what chance do I have against Voldemort?_ Harry thought to himself

After 10 minutes of trying to get over his feelings of fear, he finally got up from his bed, opened the trunk, and started writing his letter to Sirius.

_Padfoot,_

_I'm glad you're staying close by and that you're staying with Moony. I'll keep in touch and write to you as much as I can. I just pranked my Aunt and Uncle so hard, I'm sure you would've been proud if you were here. I'll tell you later in person. Since you are staying close by I hope we could meet during the summer. I would love to see you and Moony._

_On the note of you and Moony, I really don't appreciate the fact that you're talking about me and Hermione as if you two were a pack of gossiping school girls. And Hermione was so close to seeing what you wrote in the letter! But if you must know, I think you and Moony are right and I'm going to be following your advice._

_This final bit is for Moony but since I know he's with you I'll just send it with this letter. I want to impress Hermione by becoming a better student. Do you have any books on Defense Against The Dark Arts that you would recommend? It doesn't have to be from next year, I just want something that makes me improve, it could cover subjects from 5th, 6th, and 7th year. I'll have Hedwig stay with you so that you could write me a response with some books you might come up with since I'm planning on going to Diagon Alley tomorrow to buy them._

_Anyways, I'm going to write a letter to Hermione now so I'll leave it here for now._

_The son of your favourite Marauder_

_Harry_

He had to make a small white lie about why he needed the books, but he would tell them about why he needed the books soon. He would need their help if he wanted to improve and lying about it would just complicate things further. It was hard enough lying to Hermione about it. And with that, he started his letter to Hermione.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I did promise to write as soon as possible so here I am. It's only been a couple of hours since we saw each other so I don't know what to write, but I'm already missing you ;)_

_I just got to my room at the Dursleys and before you worry about it, I'm fine. In fact, I'm more than fine. I'm pretty sure that this will be an amazing summer._

_I just wrote a letter to Padfoot and was about to start with my homework (I know. Who am I and what have I done with Harry Potter) but I decided to write to you first. I'll try to finish it as soon as I can but I won't send it to you to 'check'. After all, I don't want you cheating off of me ;)_

_Tomorrow I'll be heading to Diagon Alley to (You're going to be really jealous about this) buy some books and other stuff. I know you probably won't be there, so this is just to make you jealous. I hope you enjoy reading your old boring books while I get some cool new ones._

_Anyways, hopefully you're already having an amazing summer! Don't forget to write!_

_Love from_

_Harry_

His heart pounded in his chest as he echoed the words Hermione had written on her letters. He wondered if that meant anything.

As soon as he finished writing the letters he let Hedwig out of her cage and gave them to her.

"Hey girl. Do you think you could send these letters? This one is for Hermione, just drop it off and don't stay there. The other one is for Sirius, I trust you can find him?"

Hedwig gave a scowling hoot that meant 'Of course I can, who do you think I am?'. Harry just laughed at the antics of his owl and continued.

"Stay with Sirius until he gives you a response. Then come back as soon as you can. Thank you girl!"

Hedwig nibbled affectionately at his ear and set off to deliver the letters. It had been approximately half an hour and Harry wanted to go down. He wouldn't let anything stop his fun with the Dursleys!

* * *

The next month flew by quite fast for Harry Potter.

The next day after he sent the letters he got back the book list from Lupin and he went to Diagon Alley to get them. He bought around 10 books focused on Defence and another 10 books that were about transfiguration, charms, or potions. He also bought the same book Hermione had used when tutoring him for Runes.

He finished his homework fairly quickly and began reading all the books he bought at a pace that he was sure would make Hermione proud. He couldn't practice magic, but he decided to try the wand movements with his wand and later saying the incantation after he perfected the wand movements, that way he could learn the spell without actually casting it.

It took him all month to read all of them since he stopped regularly to practice as much as he could. He decided to learn every spell he could, by this point he had learned over 20 new defensive and offensive spells. Even though he practised every spell he could, Harry became fond of 3 spells he recently learnt since they were relatively simple and extremely useful. The reductor curse, which is used to blast solid objects. The shield charm to shield himself from any spell that may come his way. And the stunning spell that's used to stun any opponent it hits.

Harry knew that these 3 spells, along with the disarming spell he learnt almost two years ago, would be the most useful, but he still wanted to have every spell he could have in his arsenal just in case.

Since he hadn't been able to cast any of the multitude of new spells he had learned he didn't know if he would have any trouble with actually casting them, but he figured that he wouldn't.

He also spent some of his free time studying Runes, it was really hard but since Harry enjoyed the subject it wasn't a bother to him. He was hoping to take the class with Hermione since he wanted to spend every moment he could with her, so he was putting in some effort to be able to pass the exam and join her class.

During this time his home life greatly improved and every time any Dursley tried to step one toe out of line he would put them back in their place fairly quickly. After those past 12 years of hell, he wouldn't give them a chance to do anything. He would never be as cruel to them as they were to him, but he wanted them to pay. And seeing Dudley having to do some of the chores he did all those years was oddly satisfying.

He also wrote numerous letters to Hermione, where they talked a lot. Their letters were incredibly long and they usually sent a letter every 3 or 4 days. Every time he saw Hedwig coming he couldn't stop his goofy grin and could only hope that Hermione did the same.

Ron and he exchanged a couple letters during the past month as well, he thoroughly enjoyed them since he missed talking to him, even if Ron didn't stop teasing him mercilessly about Hermione when he stopped talking about the Quidditch World Cup.

He also exchanged a lot of letters with Sirius and Remus and was really happy to see that slowly but surely, Sirius letters became better. His writing improved and his grammar mistakes improved slowly. He was so happy when Remus told him that they would meet him on his birthday, which was tomorrow.

He went to sleep incredibly happy knowing that he would see his godfather and pseudo-uncle soon. Unfortunately that happiness didn't last as he was currently having a nightmare where Voldemort was talking to Pettigrew.

"My.. my lord. Wouldn't it be easier just to capture the boy as soon as-"

"NO! I told you Wormtail, the boy will suffer for what he did to me! Not until the end will he be brought to me and even then his suffering won't end! The best way to weaken him and ensure his suffering is waiting until the end!" Voldemort's high and cold voice hissed.

"Ye-yes my lord."

"You aren't doubting me now, are you Wormtail?"

"No! N-no my lord. The Potter brat is nothing compared to you, my lord."

Pettigrew tried to stop shaking but couldn't manage it, so he continued a few seconds later

"Y-you aren't going to kill him when you resurrect, are you, m-my lord?"

"I'm glad to see that you aren't as stupid as I thought, Wormtail!" He turned to look at the door where a snake was coming in only to look once again at Pettigrew. "No, I won't. To kill Harry Potter now would be a mercy. He cannot die until he has suffered as I have suffered, until he has known complete despair. And he will!"

Harry felt a cold presence on his shoulder and he heard a whisper in his ear.

"Ah, Wormtail. Nagini tells me there's a muggle man watching outside. Why don't you show him our manners and invite him in."

Harry awoke with a start. His scar was burning with pain like never before, his face was filled with sweat and he felt incredibly cold, even though he was under a couple of blankets. He was shaking uncontrollably and immediately shot out of bed and to the bathroom. He was barely able to reach the toilet seat before his dinner came out. He sat there shaking and panting, tears rolling down his face as he tried to calm himself down. _Was that a nightmare? Everything felt so real._ He stood up on shaking legs and stumbled to the basin, cleaned his face with cold water and brushed his teeth while wondering about his nightmare before he went back to his room and sat at his bed, his body starting to calm down by this point.

As he sat in his bed he heard Hermione's voice in his head. ' _You're scar hurt Harry? Are you ok? This is really serious. You should tell Dumbledore about it. Are you sure you're fine? I'll go read some books to see if there's anything about cursed scars.'_

He felt that he was starting to forget about the dream so he wrote as much as he could remember on a piece of paper. He knew for the past month that Voldemort would try to come for him but hearing him say it, and hearing him state that he won't kill him until he has known ' _complete despair'_ was another thing entirely. It didn't change anything, he still needed to learn and prepare himself. But he couldn't help but feel a hole in his chest as he sat there.

He made a small letter to Dumbledore explaining the dream and considered making one to Sirius, but since he would meet him soon there would be no need. He could take this opportunity to bring them into the fold so that the two Marauders could help him prepare for whatever would come.

He was about to send the letter to Dumbledore until he realized that Hedwig wasn't back yet. He sent a letter to Hermione almost 3 days ago and was surprised to see that she hadn't sent back a response. He grabbed his book and went downstairs to read and wait for his Aunt to make him breakfast. He also brought down his wand to practice the wand movements for the reducto curse even though he already had it mastered. It was just so much fun to see the Dursleys watch him with their faces betraying the anger they felt.

He had breakfast quietly and went back to his room to find Hedwig and Pigwidgeon there waiting outside the window with a couple of letters and packages. Harry rushed to the window and Hedwig just gave him an annoyed hoot before he left the packages on the bed and went to her cage for water and owl treats. Pigwidgeon just left him a letter and passed out in front of him, clearly tired from his flight.

Harry grabbed all the letters and sorted them, leaving the best for last.

_Dear Harry!_

_Happy Birthday Harry!_

_I can't believe it's been 3 years since I told you about magic. Time goes by really fast. I attached my gift with Hedwig!_

_Hope the muggles are treating you right!_

_All the best!_

_Hagrid_

Harry opened the box he knew was Hagrid's by the way it was poorly wrapped and opened it to find a birthday cake identical to the one he received three years ago. Inside was a note that read ' _For old times's sake'_.

_Harry!_

_Happy Birthday mate! I hope you're having a good time with the muggles, well, as good as you can with them! You're probably wondering where your birthday present is. WE GOT THE TICKETS HARRY! WE'RE GOING TO THE WORLD CUP!_

_My dad just told me a couple of days ago and he wanted to send a proper invitation to the muggles but I told him not to. You're going, whether they want you to or not. If we have to break another couple of bars on your window, we'll break them._

_And don't worry, don't think I've forgotten about your little crush. Hermione is also going of course, she'll arrive tomorrow a little bit after you. I'll try not to tease you… too much anyways. After all I did for you the last few days of school I deserve it._

_We'll come pick you up tomorrow at 9 a.m.! Be ready and if the muggles give you any trouble just send Hedwig and we'll show up immediately_

_See you soon mate!_

Harry was extremely happy. Tomorrow he would see his best friend again and go with the Weasleys to the Quidditch World Cup. He knew it would be an amazing experience and couldn't wait.

He also couldn't stop grinning and feeling nervous at the same time. After a month, he would finally see Hermione. He'd been wanting to see her every day and he would finally get that wish. But would things change between them? Would they act awkward with each other? Writing letters and talking in person is completely different.

He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and continued with the letters.

_Harry,_

_This is going to be a short letter since we'll see each other today. You'll meet Moony at the Leaky Cauldron at 10 a.m. where he'll take you to the house we're currently staying at. He'll be in polyjuice form so you won't recognize him, but he'll say a keyword to you that you'll recognize immediately. I won't write it here in case it gets intercepted. See you soon Harry, and happy birthday!_

_Padfoot_

Harry didn't understand why Moony would be polyjuiced but just shrugged it off.

Finally there was just one letter left to read. The one he was waiting the most to read. He picked up the envelope and put aside the box that came with it. He opened the letter and started reading.

_Dear Harry,_

_Happy birthday Harry! I can't wait to see you tomorrow! Yes I know about the World Cup. Ron told me a couple of days ago but told me not to say anything to you about it, apparently he wanted it to be a surprise._

_I'll be arriving there around noon, after you get there of course. Like I said, I can't wait to see you. I've missed you so much even though we've been talking non-stop this past month._

_I left you a birthday present, it's the one in the periwinkle box. I hope you like it! And maybe, just maybe, you'll take the hint, Potter ;)_

_I can't wait to see you, Harry! And you better bring those books you've been boasting about all month._

_Love from,_

_Hermione_

Harry carefully opened the periwinkle box and took out the Runes books that were inside. Even though it was just a book he couldn't stop the grin from plastering his face. As far as he was concerned it was perfect, and he definitely took the hint that Hermione wanted him to take Runes next year, which he was sure he would.

Harry stared at the horizon through the window lost in his thoughts about Hermione. He wasn't sure how much time he was there until he was brought out of his musings when he remembered Sirius's letter. He looked at his watch and saw that it was close to half past nine. He quickly stepped into the bathroom, showered, and changed into fresh clothes. He grabbed his wand and his small bag of money. He quickly headed downstairs, told the Dursleys he would return later, and made for the street.

Harry summoned the knight bus as discreetly as he could and waited for a couple of minutes before it appeared in front of him. He got in, paid his fare, and they headed off to The leaky cauldron.

As soon as he got out, he said his quick goodbye to Stan Shunpike and stepped inside The Leaky Cauldron. It was relatively full, especially since it was close to 10 a.m. so he stepped into the nearest booth and tried to stay out of sight.

Nothing happened for a few minutes and he was regretting not bringing a book to read. _Merlin! I sound like Hermione!_ He thought to himself. Fortunately, it didn't take long before an old man sat in front of him. Harry was about to ask the man what he wanted but the man spoke before he could.

"Prongs sends his regards"

"Moony?"

The man just smirked at him, got up from the table, and motioned Harry to follow him as he headed outside. As soon as he stepped outside the man offered Harry his arm, to which Harry responded with a confused look.

"We'll have to apparate there, the place is under the fidelius and since I'm the secret keeper it's just easier to apparate you there."

Harry just shrugged noncommittally and placed his hand in his bare arm. Suddenly he felt himself spinning and everything went black. He felt himself be pressed from all directions and felt as every bone in his body was being pressed into his centre. His eyes into his skull. He couldn't breathe, couldn't move. He was about to panic when it all stopped the next second and Harry suddenly felt the urge to vomit.

It took him a few seconds to regain control and swallow the vomit he felt in his throat. He looked around and he saw that he was in a very dark and grim. It looked exactly like the place he imagined Draco Malfoy living in. It didn't feel inviting at all, it felt cold as if all the warmth was artificially removed.

"FILTH! HALF-BREEDS! HOW DARE YOU BEFOUL TH-"

The voice that suddenly started shouting stopped and Harry looked at Lupin who just shrugged noncommittally while looking at some closed curtains on the wall. When he looked back at Harry Lupin just smirked at him.

"Don't worry about that, Harry. On the other hand I'm impressed you didn't vomit the first time you apparated. Most people do."

"I swallowed it."

Then out of nowhere he heard a laugh he didn't recognize. He looked at the sound and saw Sirius, but he didn't look anything like he remembered. He didn't have the haunted look on his face, though he could see it slightly in his eyes. He looked 10 years younger, cleaner, handsome even. He was wearing fresh clothes, his beard was trimmed to a respectable goatee and his hair was fixed to look presentable even though it was still quite long.

"Sirius!"

Harry smiled and ran at him, hugging him tightly. Sirius seemed to stiffen for less than a second before he leaned into the embrace. They stood there for a couple of moments before they broke apart. Harry looked over at Remus and saw that he was still in his polyjuice form.

"Umm, Moony. How long until the effects of the potion are done?"

"In about 10 minutes. I couldn't take any chances in case you were late so I didn't time it exactly for when we would arrive here."

"Well it's good to see you anyways. Even if it's as an old man I've never met." He smirked at him.

They moved to the kitchen where there were a couple of Pizza boxes from a nearby pizzeria and a cake waiting for him.

He looked at Sirius who just shrugged.

"I've become addicted to the muggle pizza. It's incredibly good."

They sat and started eating while talking about their respective summers. Harry was sad when he learned they didn't go out much and heavily relied on the help of one of Sirius's cousins that happened to be a healer and helped him recover from his stint in Azkaban. As soon as they finished the pizza and the cake Sirius and Remus pulled out a gift each.

The first gift Harry received was from Sirius. It was a piece of glass that Harry thought it was a prank for a second before Sirius explained to him what it really was.

"When your father, Remus, or I were in detention we used them to communicate. It's kind of like a muggle phone. Just say my name or Remus's and our mirror will notify your calling. We'll pick up and answer. That way we can communicate while we're at Hogwarts." Sirius explained with a grin on his face while he did.

"It's perfect Sirius! Thanks!"

He put it back in the box carefully and proceeded to open Remus's present. It was a book on Defence Against The Dark Arts. He recognized it from his visit to Flourish and Blotts but he didn't buy it since it looked to be pretty advanced, but after everything he learned this past month he was probably ready to read it.

"Thanks Moony! This will help me a lot!"

Sirius and Remus just smiled at him for a second before their faces turned serious.

"Harry, are you ok?"

"Yeah Sirius, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you say you're fine. But your eyes tell us a different story. We couldn't help but notice the look you've had while you've been here."

Harry just sighed. He knew he would tell them, but he wanted to do it in his own terms. He didn't want them to worry about him.

"I- I had a nightmare." He saw Remus's and Sirius's expression and decided to continue before they could say anything. "It wasn't a normal nightmare. I woke up and my scar hurt. The last time that happened was when Voldemort was at Hogwarts"

Sirius looked like he was back in Azkaban while Remus just went pale. After a moment Sirius looked at Remus and spoke to him.

"I told you Remus. The rumors I've heard weren't wrong. Something's happening out there."

"Wait. What? What rumors?"

"I've heard rumors from some of my old contacts that things are changing out there. There have been some rumors about dark things happening and your scar hurting just solidifies to me that they aren't rumours after all. What was your nightmare about?"

"Well, I don't remember much. I remember it being long but for the life of me I can't recall everything. I just clearly remember a small portion. Throughout the dream Voldemort was talking to Wormtail and-"

"Wormtail? He's with Voldemort?" Remus asked, joining the conversation but still looking incredibly pale.

"Yes. Wormtail is with Voldemort." After a small silence Harry continued. "I remember them talking about… well… me."

Remus looked like he was about to faint while Sirius looked like he aged a couple of years right before Harry's eyes. Both of them were wearing extremely concerned expressions on their face but Harry just continued.

"They talked about how they would do something. Something that's meant for me to suffer only to then revive Voldemort." Harry stopped, he didn't want to tell them everything but he knew he had to. After a couple of moments he started talking again. "Voldemort said that he would not kill me until I suffered as much as he did. Until I knew complete despair." Harry didn't notice how shaky his voice was until he finished talking.

They spent what felt like an eternity in silence before Remus spoke up again.

"You knew didn't you? Before you had the dream. You knew Voldemort would target you specifically. That's why you asked me for those books of Defense."

"Yes. Dumbledore told me after you left that he knew that Voldemort would return and that h-he'd target me specifically. So I didn't want to risk it. I've been studying as much as I can of DADA. I couldn't actually cast any spell since I can't do magic outside of school but I've practiced as much as I could. I know it isn't much compared to Voldemort, but I don't want to make it easier for him when he comes back."

The silence continued for a few minutes before Sirius spoke up again.

"Harry. You need to be very careful. If what you say and what I've heard is true then you need to be on guard. Continue learning as much as you can and never be alone. Stick close to Ron and Hermione. There's safety in numbers."

Harry nodded and they went back to silence again.

"I'm going to Ron's house tomorrow. Hermione will be there too. We'll go to the Quidditch World Cup. It's in a couple of weeks but I think Ron wanted me away from the Dursleys as soon as possible. So I'll be staying with them all summer."

"That's good Harry. You could practice there, you could actually cast the spells there."

"But Sirius… I still can't do magic outside of school. They'll expel me from Hogwarts if I do."

"Ron is a pureblood, right?" Harry just nodded and Sirius continued. "The ministry doesn't bother with pureblood or half-blood houses. The trace is just a way to track muggleborns, if you're in a pureblood house they'll think that the parents are doing magic."

 _If Hermione knew this she would be incredibly pissed off._ Harry thought to himself before he spoke again.

"But Mrs. Weasley won't allow me to do magic. She doesn't let her own kids do it."

"Well then, what Mrs. Weasley doesn't see, can't hurt her. Besides, this is for the greater good. I agree with you that you have to learn more and practice and you can't do that if you can't do magic. Have you told Ron or Hermione about this?"

Harry just looked sheepishly at the ground before he responded.

"No. I didn't want to worry them so I've kept it quiet."

"Good, keep it that way."

"Sirius!"

"What Remus? Harry's right. Them knowing will only hurt them instead of help them. Voldemort is after Harry not them. Let them be kids, as fucked up as it sounds Harry lost that chance 13 years ago."

Remus just glared at him for a moment before his face turned into one of understanding.

"Fine. But don't push them away Harry. You need them as much as I needed Sirius and your father all those years ago. If you push them away, you'll be letting Voldemort win before he actually makes a move. Trust them, Harry, don't undermine their love for you. Don't let Voldemort win."

"I know. I won't. I just don't want them to worry about me. Hermione would probably have a panic attack if she knew and I don't want to do that to her. Ron would probably faint knowing that Voldemort would come back."

Harry continued after Remus gave him a sad smile.

"Besides, Sirius is right. They still have a chance to be teens. To be normal. If Voldemort didn't destroy that for me the Dursleys sure did. It's time for me to grow up."

Remus and Sirius looked sad, ashamed even. But they didn't say anything more on the topic.

Sirius was about to speak again when the cover of the daily prophet caught his eye. There a picture of Lupin plastered over the front page.

_WANTED Remus Lupin_

_Attacked A Student As A Werewolf  
Believed To Have Helped Sirius Black This Past Year_

Harry was about to grab the paper when Sirius unceremoniously grabbed it before he could.

"What was that!?" Harry couldn't keep the outrage from his voice.

"It's nothing Harry, don't worry about it." Lupin answered back before Sirius could reply

"Nothing!?" Harry couldn't believe it. "Lupin! Y-you're a fugitive because of me! How can you say it's nothing?"

"Harry, this isn't your fault. Sure, they're looking for me partially because I attacked you. But they also think that I helped Sirius this past year, which isn't exactly untrue. Especially this past month."

"But it's not fair! You did nothing wrong! Sirius is innocent and you attacked me by accident!"

"I know, Harry, and I honestly don't mind. You have no idea how happy I am that you don't hold a grudge against me for what I did." He avoided Harry's eyes all throughout the conversation before finally looking at him.

"But this isn't your fault Harry. Dumbledore and I knew this would happen, that's why he managed to stop the news from spreading out before I left Hogwarts. I'm more than fine with this, some day, when Sirius gets cleared so will I."

He was fuming by what Lupin was saying to him, he wanted to hex Fudge and Snape for putting Lupin in this position but in the end, he knew he couldn't do anything about it, which only made him feel worse.

"It's just not fair, Moony. You don't deserve it." Harry said in a sad voice.

Lupin just stood up and grabbed Harry into a hug, letting his hug say for him what his words didn't. While Harry stiffened at first he relaxed after a couple of seconds and as angry as he was the wizarding world as a whole, he couldn't help but smile at the embrace. Feeling for the first time as part of a family.

They spent their final hours together trying to ignore the elephant in the room and talk about other things. Sirius and Harry talked about the Quidditch World Cup for a while and then the Marauders started teasing Harry about Hermione and prodding him for information.

All in all, he had a good time and Remus apparated him to just outside Privet Drive. He walked home after saying his goodbyes to Remus and arrived at the Dursleys just before dinner. While at dinner he gave them the news.

"You'll be happy to know that I'm leaving tomorrow. Ron will come pick me up at 9 in the morning."

Uncle Vernon just grunted his acceptance and as soon as Harry finished he made his way to his room. He packed everything as quickly as he could and as soon as he was ready to go he got in his bed and slept. Completely ignoring last night's dream and just happy that he'll see Hermione tomorrow.


	6. The Quidditch World Cup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta-Read By HHrPie

" _Bring him here, Wormtail!"_

_Harry didn't know where he was, nor how he got there, he only knew that he had a black bag covering his face. As soon as the voice spoke he recognized it immediately, it would be hard not to after all the times he's faced him. The bag was removed rather harshly from his head and after a few moments of his eyes adjusting, he saw the owner of the voice. There stood Lord Voldemort as he saw him over a year ago, as the handsome 16 year old that tried to kill Ginny Weasley in the Chamber of Secrets, only this time he had those scarlet eyes he saw over 2 years ago when he protected the philosopher's stone. He couldn't help but shiver in fear as he realized there was no escaping, no getting out alive, no hope at all._

" _Ah, Harry Potter, the boy who lived. How pathetic! Crucio!"_

_Harry saw a red lightning bolt come out of Voldemort's wand and as soon as it hit him he felt pain as never before. He really couldn't explain how it felt, he only knew he had never felt a pain this raw and intense, and as time went on the pain only increased. He was sure he was about to pass out when suddenly all the pain stopped. He was panting and shaking like never before, the only thing he could hear was Voldemort's cold high laugh._

" _So weak! So useless! And people really think that_ _ **you**_ _could ever be able to stop me. Well not anymore. After tonight, nobody will ever doubt my power again! After tonight, when people think of you, they will only think about how weak and pathetic you really were! Crucio!"_

_The pain started again. He wished it could just stop, he wished that Voldemort would just kill him and get it over with. He didn't care anymore, he just wanted everything to stop. He wanted to die._

_After what felt like an eternity, finally the pain stopped. He was shaking involuntarily, he tried to stop himself to not seem so weak but he couldn't. He looked back up at Voldemort who seemed he was having the time of his life._

" _After I kill you, Harry Potter, I will make sure to pay your mudblood whore and blood traitor friend a visit. Maybe I'll bring your body with me so that they can see their precious Harry Potter dead at their feet. Crucio!"_

_He tried to evade the curse but his body was in no condition to move so he wasn't able to do it. He started squirming on the ground, he was yelling louder than ever before, he couldn't take it anymore. But it continued, he wasn't sure for how long, the concept of time was lost to him at this point._

_Once again, the pain stopped instantaneously and he couldn't help but stay on the ground, shaking pathetically._

" _Don't worry, Potter! After I show your body to your pathetic friends, I'll make sure to leave it somewhere where the whole world can see you for the weak, useless, and pathetic little boy you really are. Avada Kedavra!"_

_A flash of green erupted from Voldemort's wand and hit him squarely in the chest._

Harry woke up in a cold sweat and immediately sat up on the couch, panting. It took him a while to realize that it was just a nightmare, that he was safe at The Burrow. This wasn't the first time he had nightmares, he'd been having them daily for almost the past three weeks and it was always the same one. Wormtail captured him and took him to Voldemort at a worn out mansion where he taunted and tortured him just before he killed him. At this point he really should be used to it, but he always woke up like this, sweating, panting, and eerily cold.

His first night at The Burrow he'd slept in Ron's room and woke up screaming in the middle of the night. It took him some time to calm down and fortunately he only woke up Ron instead of the whole house. Obviously, Ron had been extremely concerned about him but he told him it had just been a nightmare and that it was nothing. He also told him not to tell anyone about it, especially not Hermione since she would just freak out. Ron had agreed but didn't seem like he wanted to keep his secret.

The next day, after many hours of talking and convincing, Mrs Weasley finally relented and let him sleep on the couch for the rest of his stay there. That day he had also communicated with Remus and Sirius and told them about his nightmares. Even though they were concerned about Harry having nightmares and wanted him to go stay with them for the rest of the summer, they let him stay at The Burrow and even taught him a spell to make sure that if he screamed in the middle of the night nobody could hear him.

He looked up at the clock that was near him and saw that it was barely 3 in the morning. _Great, again only four fucking hours of sleep. Just fantastic._ Harry thought bitterly to himself.

Ever since he had that dream just before his birthday he hadn't been able to sleep well. He constantly woke up having slept less than five hours, sometimes he had slept less than three. At this point, he was entirely dependent on his early morning coffee he had gotten used to making as soon as he woke up. Since he knew he would not be able to go back to sleep and that the rest of the Weasleys were waking up in 3 hours, he headed to the kitchen to prepare his morning coffee.

Thankfully, since he could do magic here without worrying about the ministry finding out it was quite easy and barely made a sound. As soon as he was done drinking it, he changed into his clothes for the day, which he always left in the living room to not disturb Ron while he was sleeping, grabbed his invisibility cloak and headed outside.

He headed towards Mr Weasley's shed and as soon as he was behind it and well out of sight, he took off the cloak, put silencing charms around what he deemed as his practice area so that no one would hear him practising, and began his daily routine.

During the past few weeks he split his time in two. He always woke up extremely early, mostly due to his constant nightmares, normally around 3 or 4 in the morning and way before any other Weasley. He changed and drank his morning coffee before making his way to the spot behind the shed and practised his defensive spells. He usually practised for about four or five hours before heading inside the Burrow to shower and have breakfast.

After that, Ron and Hermione usually woke up and he spent the rest of the day with them. Sometimes he would go play Quidditch with Ron or just talk about nothing. Other times he would be with Hermione, either studying or just having nice but sometimes awkward talks. Harry didn't know why being around Hermione was suddenly very hard. Sometimes one of them would stare at the other and when the other looked back at them they both blushed furiously and looked away.

It was worse whenever the three of them were together since Ron never could stop himself from making fun of Harry or Hermione or both at the same time. Still, even though they would act a little awkward sometimes, other times it was just perfect. Whether they were reading in comfortable silence while sitting closely to each other or they were teasing each other for no reason, they had a lot of perfect moments of pure bliss.

After dinner however, Harry would spend another 3 or 4 hours reading the books he had bought throughout the summer and the one Moony gave him on his birthday. This usually caused Ron to complain about Harry reading while Harry just tried to tune it out. He usually gave up after 30 minutes of trying to make him stop reading and talk about the Quidditch World Cup.

At first, Hermione was also keen on the idea of Harry reading, but when Harry started to act secretly and not show her what she was reading she became suspicious. She tried everything to figure out what he was reading, he could tell. But Harry had made sure to never show her the cover of the book, often covering it while he read. When she tried to read whatever he was reading he pulled the book closer to himself, essentially denying her the chance.

This caused her to become annoyed at Harry during the nights and after a week she left him alone, but Harry could tell she was suspicious of him. He wanted to tell her, he really did. But Sirius was right. She still has a chance to live her life, she shouldn't have to constantly worry about him, and he wasn't going to give her any reason.

Thankfully, she hadn't brought the topic of the books again while she was hanging out with him during the day, but as soon as he pulled out the books after dinner she would just huff and harrumph and proceed to leave the room.

By this point, he had worked on a lot of spells during the summer. He felt he was good with all of them. He had successfully cast each of them, even though some spells like _Impedimenta_ and _Protego_ were hard to test since they were better used when actually duelling with another person, he was fairly sure that he had done a good job with them.

Since he didn't know how many days he would spend at the World cup, this could be the last chance of practising before he got back to Hogwarts. So, with this in mind, he proceeded to practice all of the spells he had learnt during the past month and a half.

When he finally finished and was pleased by having cast them all successfully, he looked at his watch and realized that it was almost seven. _It's been almost four hours already!?_ He immediately panicked since they were planning to leave The Burrow in less than 15 minutes to reach the portkey by eight.

He suddenly got a huge urge to go to the bathroom and decided to run back to The Burrow. As soon as he opened the door he couldn't help but gulp at what he saw. There, a very angry Hermione was sitting on the couch looking at him with a glare that he was sure would make the likes of Voldemort cower with fear.

"Umm… hi..?"

Hermione just huffed in response, leapt from the couch and walked towards Harry. Harry, the brave Gryffindor he was. The Gryffindor who had faced Voldemort 2 times, who had killed a 60 foot basilisk with a sword, who had faced a werewolf and over a hundred dementors did the Gryffindor thing.

He took a couple of steps back and when he reached the door he just shrunk under her glare.

"Where have you been, Harry James Potter! I've been looking for you for the past hour! We've been so worried about you!" Hermione hissed even though it was clear he wanted to yell at him and loudly scold him.

"Well, you clearly didn't look that well enough if you couldn't find me for a whole hour."

The words left his mouth before he could even think them and as soon as he saw Hermione's glare become deadlier, something he thought was impossible before it happened. He audibly gulped and shrunk even further under her glare.

"What were you doing outside!"

_Ok, Potter. This should be easy. You've acted a little bit weird with her for the past 2 weeks. If you act weird she shouldn't suspect anything. Just say something dumb and she'll chalk it up to you acting weird._

"Err… Peeing..?"

As soon as the words left his mouth he wanted to facepalm himself. _Not_ _ **that**_ _dumb, Potter!_

Hermione looked like she wasn't buying it at all.

"Peeing? You've been **outside** peeing for an hour?"

_Well, there's no way to get out of this hole you dug, Potter. Just try to convince her that you're not completely mental._

"Yup, had too much water in my system I suppose." He chuckled nervously and even he knew it was a terrible lie. _Honestly, Harry! I know you want to go to the bathroom, but why on earth did you say peeing? There are many things you could say you were doing outside, like riding your broom or degnoming the garden or anything else._ A voice in his head that sounded like Hermione berated him.

Hermione looked like she was about to explode but was interrupted when a chipper voice called out to them.

"Harry! There you are!"

Mr Weasley came down the stairs and Harry took this as an opportunity to quickly escape his corner and greet him.

"Hey, Mr Weasley! I'm almost ready, I just need to go to the bathroom."

He immediately regretted it when he heard Hermione huff and mumble something that sounded a lot like "Honestly!" Mr Weasley just gave Harry a confused face that said 'What's up with Hermione?' to which Harry just shrugged and made his way to the bathroom.

As soon as he was done he stepped into the living room and since there was no one there except Hermione he decided it would be a good time to try to talk to her and hopefully stop her from being angry at him for the whole day.

He sat down beside her and after a few moments of awkward silence he spoke and his hands fidgeting uncomfortably in his palm he finally spoke.

"So… how's Runes?"

Hermione just huffed and made to stand up and leave but Harry grabbed her hand to stop her. She looked back at Harry to glare at him but as soon as she saw his face her expression softened.

"Hermione, I'm sorry you were looking for me for an hour. I didn't want to make you worry about me"

Hermione turned back to sit down but looked intently at Harry with determination in her eyes.

"Harry I don't care about that. I care that you're lying to us, that you're keeping secrets from us. Don't think Ron and I haven't noticed you've been acting weird since you got back."

"It's really nothing, Hermione. I'm fine, honestly."

"You're not fine, Harry! You're detached. Even when you're with us your mind is somewhere else and… and I'm worried about you."

Harry just sighed, he knew Ron and Hermione were suspicious of him and that he'd have to give them an explanation as to why he was acting the way he was, but he didn't want to do it just yet. He didn't want to reveal his training because then he'd have to explain about what Dumbledore told him and he didn't want them to worry about him much, so he chose to tell a small white lie that should appease her.

"I-I've been having nightmares, Hermione. It's really nothing, it's something stupid, nothing to worry about. Ron already knows, I asked him not to tell you anything because I didn't want you to worry about it."

"How long, Harry?" Hermione said sternly

Harry sighed.

"About three weeks now. It's been happening daily and they usually wake me up a bit earlier than everyone else. Sometimes I go outside and run to get my mind off of them. I'm really fine Hermione."

"Oh, Harry."

Hermione pulled Harry into her signature bear hug and held him there for a couple of moments before she pulled back to look at him. He felt that he would have bruises from Hermione's tight hug but still smiled at her.

"I wish you would've told me earlier, Harry."

Harry chuckled in response.

"Well, I was hoping to avoid my ribs getting destroyed by your signature bear hugs but apparently there's nothing I can do to stop them."

Hermione just giggled in response, something that baffled Harry.

"Nope, you won't get rid of them that easily, Potter."

"Wait wait wait. Did you, Hermione Granger, just giggled?"

Hermione just playfully shoved him and said "Prat."

They stayed there in a comfortable silence, snuggled together while they waited for the other Weasleys. And Harry was just happy that he didn't have to endure his best friend's ire, at least for now.

* * *

Hermione was genuinely happy for the first time in a couple of weeks. Sure, she had loved the time she had spent with Harry these past weeks but the thought that he was hiding something from her was always there in the back of her mind bothering her. Now, with Harry finally opening up to her, her thoughts finally let her rest. And the fact that they were snuggling on the couch while they waited for the other Weasleys was just a welcome addition to that perfect moment.

She understood why Harry was hiding things from her, she always knew that as smart and resourceful as he sometimes proved himself to be when he wanted to, he was always a stupid and noble prat at heart. And the fact that he didn't want her to worry about him made her feel butterflies inside her stomach. She knew that making Harry open up to her would be something hard, the only time he had done that was that night. _Merlin, that perfect, night._ She thought to herself.

Hermione knew that something changed with her after that night, but it took her a while for her to realize that that was the moment she started fancying Harry. She had always thought Harry was really good looking and she always loved several aspects of his personality. Sure, he wasn't perfect, but there was something about him that just attracted her to him, even before they were friends she always tried to talk to him and try to get his attention.

She couldn't put a finger on what it was, but he had something and she knew that she wasn't the only one who was attracted to him because of it. Harry just has this personality that makes people want to talk to him.

But that night, that night where he completely opened up to her, where he finally put all of his walls down, where he didn't try to hide underneath his sarcastic and witty remarks, she saw him for who he really was.

This wasn't something new, she had always seen through his walls and was really good at reading him, but to see him open up to her and the look he gave her after they parted from that **perfect** hug. It was impossible not to fall for him there and then.

After that, she couldn't help but look at him differently, she couldn't help but look at him period, something he had caught her doing many times which always made her blush a bright red. She couldn't explain what it was, but everytime she was with Harry she just felt like nothing could bring her down.

Their comfortable silence was interrupted when suddenly the whole Weasley family went down to have breakfast. Most of them ignored them, opting to go for breakfast, but the one person that did notice them was Ginny Weasley.

Ginny was a problem all on itself. At first she acted alright with her and she thought that she could finally have a female friend. She sometimes talked to Lavender and Parvati while they were at their dormitories and had a neutral relationship with them until they had that small row about Lavender's rabbit and they turned cold towards since then It doesn't matter, their gossiping antics heavily annoyed her from time to time so she doesn't really want to be friends with them anyways.

But that all changed when Ginny saw how Harry and her interacted with each other. After she saw them the other night studying Runes while sharing a book and snuggling close to each other she always scowled at her.

It's clear that she had a big crush on Harry even though she couldn't hold a conversation with him for more than a few seconds. She didn't know him. She saw Harry as The Boy Who Lived, the hero who saved her from the Chamber of Secrets instead of just Harry, she clearly was in love with the idea of The Boy Who Lived instead of Harry and she quickly became jealous of Hermione for her close relationship with Harry.

Even though she loved her friendship with her two boys, she couldn't help but sometimes feel sad that she didn't have other friends, she never did even back before Hogwarts. Harry and Ron had been her only friends for all of her life and when Ginny started acting cold with Hermione, she couldn't help but feel a little depressed because of it.

Suddenly, a dark thought entered Hermione's mind and she couldn't stop thinking about it, so she voiced her concerns to Harry.

"Harry, am I a bad friend?"

Harry gave her a look that was split between confused and concerned.

"Of course not, Hermione. Why would you think that?"

"Well, you and Ron are my only friends. Besides, I always annoy and nag you guys and you constantly get angry at me for it. I mean, look at how I've acted this past year. Maybe if I hadn't told McGonagall about the broom you wo-"

Harry put a finger on her lips to stop her rambling and gave her an incredibly intense look.

"I need you to listen to me very carefully, Hermione. You. Are. Not. A. Bad. Friend. You are an amazing, brave, kind, caring, and protective friend who always thinks about your friends before you think about yourself. I never apologized for being horrible to you this past year. You didn't deserve any of that and I'm really sorry."

Hermione tried to interrupt him but Harry just covered her mouth completely instead of with just a finger.

"I'm not saying you're perfect, of course not, nobody is. Sometimes you can be insensitive or even..."

Harry trailed off and Hermione used this opportunity to lower Harry's hand from her mouth.

"Even what, Harry?"

"Nothing, just drop it."

"No, tell me."

Harry still looked hesitant and didn't seem to want to continue but he relented when he saw the look Hermione gave him.

"Even cruel."

Harry said but hastily added.

"I don't mean that you are knowingly cruel but you can come off as it without knowing it. Like you did when Lavender rabbit died. I know you hate divination but I don't think that was the time to go off about it. The way you turned towards the rest of us when you were talking made it seem as if you didn't really care and were just trying to prove a point. I know you weren't but Dean and Seamus thought so and well I can see where they were coming from but I-"

Harry cut himself off and took a deep breath before continuing while looking at her.

"It doesn't matter though. You are still an amazing friend Hermione and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You are extremely brave and loyal not to mention brilliant. Remember in first year? You went with me to rescue the stone even though you knew you might get expelled or hurt. Last year, you broke who knows how many laws to go back in time to save Sirius and Buckbeak."

He took another deep breath before continuing

"Speaking of Buckbeak, you spent so much time trying to find a way to save him even though you had so much school work to do. You still attended my match even though you don't like Quidditch and we had a fight. And you always give the best birthday gifts. Last year you gave me Broomstick servicing kit which was brilliant and this year you gave me-"

Harry was cut off when she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. She let the tears fall down her eyes and onto his shoulder.

"I...I am sorry, Hermione, I shouldn't have said those th-" she cut him off before he could continue

"Thank you, Harry."

"...What?"

She pulled back and gave him a smile. "I didn't know you thought so highly of me."

"...Well, I do and I think you should too. Seriously, you are brilliant Hermione, you-"

"Harry, Hermione come down for breakfast."

Harry looked about to continue speaking but she preempted him by placing a finger on his lips, "We should go down. Mrs Weasley will get angry if we don't."

After they had breakfast, Mr Weasley called them and they left for the Portkey.

The walk there was long and boring. Harry, Hermione, and Ron walked behind the group, leaving Ginny alone some meters in front of them, and in front of her the twins were talking with their father.

Ron talked all the way there about the Quidditch World Cup. Hermione was honestly shocked at how Ron could talk about something like the world cup for days on end and still continue on about it. _If only he had the same passion for school as he does for Quidditch._ Hermione gave a mental sigh

Suddenly Ginny looked back at the trio and scowled at Hermione while the boys were oblivious to it by talking about Quidditch. She didn't know what compelled her to do it. Maybe she wanted to show her that Harry was **her** Harry or maybe she just really wanted to do it. Whatever it was, she grabbed his hand and gave it a happy squeeze.

Harry turned to look at her and smiled a genuine smile and squeezed her hand back. As she was walking while holding hands a thought crept to her mind.

_Wait, since when do I think of Harry as my Harry? That's ridiculous, right? It's not like his mine… right? I mean, do I want him to be mine? Do I want him to think of me as his Hermione? It does sound nice, though… my Harry._

She spent the whole rest of the walk deep in those fond thoughts and was only brought back from them when she heard someone call her name rather loudly.

"Hermione!"

She jumped and looked at Harry who was just smirking at her. She instantly blushed and looked at her shoes. As she looked down she couldn't help but spot a boot laying there on the ground. She also realized that they had stopped moving a couple of minutes ago and that they weren't alone anymore. There was Cedric Diggory and his father talking to Mr Weasley, this only caused her to flush harder.

"Glad to have you back with us, Hermione."

She looked up at him and just saw Harry smirking at her like a fool. She just huffed at him.

"I was busy thinking."

"Hermione Granger? Thinking? Nah, that can't be. That's impossible." Ron chimed in, never one to let an opportunity to tease her or Harry go.

She was about to retort back to Ron but Mr Weasley spoke before she could.

"Come on kids, the portkey is about to go off."

Mr Weasley grabbed the boot and motioned to them to also grab it. She grabbed it and saw Harry looking at it skeptically.

"It's just a boot, Potter." She smirked at him. "I'm sure someone like you can handle it."

Harry just mock glared at her and grabbed the boot. Before he could have a chance to retort she felt as though a hook jerked her forward and quickly assumed the portkey started working. It was definitely a really uncomfortable way to travel, and before she could begin to analyze how it felt she suddenly felt herself land rather harshly on the ground and immediately felt sick.

She looked up and saw that Mr Weasley, Mr Diggory, Cedric, and Harry were standing up. Harry walked up to her side, smirked at her, and offered her a hand but spoke before she could take it.

"It was just a boot Granger, I thought someone like you could handle it."

Hermione just mock glared at him, slapped his hand out of the way, and got up by herself.

"How'd you do that anyways?"

"Yes, Harry." Mr Weasley spoke while helping Ginny up. "I'm also curious about that. Usually when someone uses a portkey for the first time they don't manage to stay standing."

Harry just shrugged and when Mr Weasley focused on helping the others Harry spoke in a volume that only Hermione could listen to.

"It's not the first time I've done something like this."

Hermione just narrowed her eyes at him to which Harry responded with a quick wink before he started walking with the rest of the Weasleys.

After the poor muggle that had been obliviated at least a dozen times that day showed them the way to where they were staying, The Weasleys, Harry and Hermione tried to put up the tents. The Weasleys were completely hopeless at it and gave up pretty soon since they couldn't use magic.

After half an hour Harry and Hermione managed to put the tents up while they were being watched by Mr Weasley who seemed like an eager student trying to learn, the only thing he was missing was a notebook full of notes and a quill. The other Weasleys went for wood for the fire and water while Harry and Hermione built the tent.

As soon as they were done with the tents and the other Weasleys returned, she followed Mr Weasley inside the tent with Harry behind her. When she looked back at Harry, he had this boyish grin on his face and was admiring the tent. She couldn't help but grin at his reaction since she knew that he probably didn't know how the tent worked.

"I love magic!" Harry said in an awed voice.

Hermione tried her best to control her giggles but she couldn't and Harry just looked at her with a curious expression which only made her giggle more.

 _What is wrong with you, Hermione? You never giggle, you haven't since you were like 9. Control yourself!_ She berated herself mentally before sitting down to rest for a while.

"Well, it isn't much and we'll be a little cramped but we'll make due. Now, we boys will stay in this tent while the girls stay in the other smaller tent that's beside this one."

Hermione just nodded and looked at Harry who still had an awed expression.

Since they had walked for a long time and building the tents was hard work she decided to rest for a while before they went outside. She didn't know how long she stayed there before she heard a crack outside and the obnoxious voice she had gotten used to these past few weeks.

"Just **apparated** here, father." Percy spoke loudly

Hermione just rolled her eyes at him and went outside to where Harry and Ron were eating, feeling hungry herself. Outside she saw Percy, Bill, and Charlie talking to their father.

Just as she was about to finish eating she saw Mr Weasley stand up quickly and call out to the most ridiculously dressed man she had ever seen. He looked like a giant bumblebee with a wasp in the middle of his shirt.

"Ah, Ludo! The man of the moment! It's good to see you!"

"Ahoy there Arthur! It's great to see you too! What a day! Isn't it perfect! The atmosphere of this whole place couldn't be better. Have you had time to walk around?"

"Unfortunately not, Ludo. I've been here taking care of the kids!" He motioned to his children, Harry, and Hermione. "These are my kids! Percy-"

Arthur was interrupted when Percy leapt from his seat to shake Bagman's hand eagerly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir!"

Ludo just ignored Percy and motioned for Arthur to continue, leaving a sullen looking Percy behind.

"Well, here's Bill, that's Charlie, these are the twins Fred.. no George and he's Fred, here's Ron, and finally here are Ron's friends Harry and Hermione."

Bagman did a double take when he heard Harry's name and immediately looked at his scar, something that made Hermione scowl at him.

"Harry Potter! It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person!"

"Er… thank you." Harry replied awkwardly leaving an annoyed looking Percy scowling at him.

Ludo turned back to Mr Weasley, completely ignoring Hermione's scowl and said "Well Arthur, fancy a wager on the match?"

Harry looked like he didn't want to be there anymore and turned to Hermione.

"Hey, fancy looking around the campsite. Hopefully we'll find something better to do."

Hermione smiled at Harry and nodded before standing up with him. Harry turned towards Ron as soon as they both were standing up.

"Come on Ron, let's have a look around the campsite to see what we'll find."

Ron looked excited and quickly jumped up. The trio made their way through the campsite and Hermione was fascinated by everything she saw. Even though the organizers prohibited magic, almost everyone was ignoring these orders. There was magic all around her, kids flying on broomsticks all around the place, people wearing different types of robes based on their culture, flags of many nations on top of the tents. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before.

"Harry! Ron! Hermione!" A voice from behind called out to them.

The trio turned around and saw Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas moving their way past the crowd towards them.

"Dean! Seamus!" Ron called out to them when they arrived.

The boys quickly started talking about Quidditch while Hermione just looked around. She had tried to join Quidditch conversations these past few weeks at The Burrow but she never could and at this point she was honestly annoyed by them. They all talked about the same teams and players and this Krum guy and how he was amazing.

Hermione was distracted from her somewhat bitter thoughts about Quidditch when she saw Lavender and Parvati walking near her. She was reminded of her conversation with Harry and decided to try and make amends with the two girls.

"Lavender! Parvati!"

The two girls looked up at Hermione and she rushed to them, but since they were pretty close by she was still in the earshot of the boys and could still hear them talking about Quidditch.

"Hey Hermione." Lavender said with a slightly suspicious tone. "Everything ok?"

_Ok Hermione, just swallow your pride. It's something stupid and Harry was right. I was being really insensitive and cruel with Lavender._

"Yes. No. Can we talk? Like, about something serious?"

Lavender looked at Parvati who just shrugged in response and then she turned back to Hermione.

"Sure."

Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them back up again

"Lavender I'm sorry about what I said about your rabbit last year. I know I can be insensitive sometimes and I tried to use the situation to prove my point to Ron in an argument. I'm really bad at the whole social thing and I didn't consider what you were feeling and was really mean to you about it. I'm not trying to excuse myself by saying that, I was horrible to you. Could… could you forgive me?"

To say Lavender looked shocked would be an understatement, her jaw practically dropped to the ground. After a couple moments to regain her composure, Lavender finally spoke.

"It's ok, Hermione. I know you didn't mean it in a bad way when you said that even though it really did hurt my feelings. I know you're really, well, you're really bad at the whole social thing as you put it." Both girls laughed nervously for a second at that before Lavender continued. "It's ok, Hermione, it's water under the bridge."

"Thank you Lavender!" Hermione pulled Lavender into a hug and said. "It's really good to see you here!"

They pulled back from the hug and Lavender spoke.

"It's really good to see you here too, Hermione. Though I really didn't expect to see you here. You usually don't watch Quidditch unless Harry's playing."

Hermione immediately flushed at this, something that both girls didn't fail to notice and gave her a knowing smirk.

"Well, Ron invited Harry and me a couple weeks ago so I couldn't really say no." Hermione said while she gave a small smile and proceeded to take a small peak at the group of boys.

The two girls looked at each other, looked at the group of boys that were still nearby, and then back at Hermione. Lavender immediately grabbed Hermione's arm and pulled her some more meters away from the boys. Once they were out of earshot Lavender gave Hermione a knowing look.

"Ok, spill it Hermione."

"Spill what?"

"Come on, Granger. You're supposed to be the smart one." Lavender saw Hermione's blank face, rolled her eyes, and continued. "What's going on between you and Harry?"

Hermione immediately flushed at this and looked at the ground. After a couple of moments she looked back at the girls who were giggling like crazy.

"Why do you think there's anything going with me and Harry?" She said in an unusual high voice.

"Come on, Hermione. Every time I've said his name your face has turned into a tomato."

That just made Hermione flush even more and Lavender gave her a look that said 'I told you so'

"There's nothing going on with me and Harry." Hermione said and both girls didn't seem to miss the small and barely noticeable sadness in her voice.

"But you fancy him, right?"

"I… er… um- it's not…"

"So we should take that as a yes?"

"It's really none of your business." Hermione said in as much seriousness as she could muster from this embarrassing situation.

The other two girls just groaned at her goodnaturedly and this time Parvati teased her

"We'll make you spill your secrets sooner or later Granger."

"You will do no such thing! Besides th-"

Hermione was interrupted when Lavender put her hand on Hermione's mouth and gave a meaningful glance behind her. She quickly looked back and saw that Harry was making his way towards them and she instantly flushed. She looked back at Lavender and Parvati and gave them a look that said 'Don't you dare say anything!' to which Lavender and Parvati just giggled.

"Lavender! Parvati! It's good to see you."

"Harry! How are you? Have you heard about Professor Lupin?"

Harry and Hermione both looked somber before Harry responded.

"Yeah, I heard about it."

"It's absurd!" Parvati exclaimed and Harry and Hermione's faces relaxed at her response.

"I know! He was our best DADA professor. It's absurd what they're saying about him and Sirius Black" Hermione saw Harry blush a little bit at that but ignored it. "and it's not fair that they're blaming him for… umm… well… er… you know..." Lavender finished tentatively looking at Harry.

"It wasn't his fault. He wasn't in control of his body at the time. I don't blame him!"

"We neither!" Parvati and Lavender replied quickly.

Harry just smiled at the two girls before Lavender spoke again, obviously trying to change to a brighter topic.

"So, how's your summer been?"

"Great! I had a really good summer." He smirked and ignored Hermione's curious look since he hadn't told her what he did to the Dursleys. "I'm also loving it here, It's amazing. Are you two liking the World Cup?"

"Yeah, it's really cool. Have you seen anyone else from Hogwarts?"

"Nope, you guys and Seamus and Dean are the first we've seen." Harry looked at Hermione and narrowed his eyes suspiciously before turning back to the other girls. "So, what were you talking about."

The three girls just looked at each other before they all answered at the same time.

"Krum."

"Boys."

"Classes."

As soon as they finished all three girls flushed and Hermione suddenly found the ground very interesting. When she looked back up she saw Harry with a smirk before saying.

"Anyways, I'll go back with the other boys and you can talk about… that." He smirked at them before turning to address only Hermione. "Seamus and Dean told us they were selling souvenirs nearby, we're going in a couple of minutes, do you want to come with us?"

Hermione just gave a weak "Sure" before Harry left and went back with the boys. As soon as he was gone Hermione glared at the two girls.

"This is all your fault."

Parvati and Lavender just giggled.

"Well Lav, I think we finally found out Hermione's little secret."

"I think you're right Pav, I think we finally found Hermione's little crush."

Hermione just huffed at them. "Fine, I fancy Harry Potter. Are you happy now?"

"Yes."

Hermione just groaned which only caused the other girls to continue laughing.

"So why don't you do anything about it, Hermione? It's clear he also fancies you."

Hermione's heart stopped for a moment.

"What? He doesn't fancy me? Why would he, he's Harry Potter, he could have any girl from school. He wouldn't choose me."

"Well, well, Pav, I think we finally found ourselves an area where we're smarter than Hermione."

"I never thought I'd see the day where we would beat Hermione at something Lav!"

Hermione just groaned at them. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, it's clear Harry fancies you. He came here just to check up on you instead of just calling out to you." Lavender said with a smirk

"He could be coming to say hello to you guys."

"The look he gave you when he got here is a look we haven't ever seen him give to someone else." Parvati continued.

"Because I'm his best friend."

"His body language also spoke volumes. While he was talking to us he always had his body pointed towards you, even when he was looking at the two of us." Lavender's smirk turned into a full grin.

"That's just a coincidence."

"No Hermione, that's his body language screaming that he's interested in you. Besides, the way he smirked at you when he caught our lie. Clearly he's amused when he makes you blush." Parvati couldn't help but giggle as she finished.

"That doesn't mean anything."

"And finally, he hasn't stopped staring at you since he left." Lavender said with a tone full of pride.

Hermione immediately looked back at Harry and saw him staring at her only to quickly react and look elsewhere, his face as flushed as hers. She looked back and Lavender concluded.

"So, Hermione, even though Harry could have any girl in school. It's clear he fancies you. Besides, it's not like he talks to any other girl. That was the first time we've talked to him in like half a year, and it was probably the longest conversation we've had with him. He chose you, so deal with it and do something about it."

Hermione just stared sheepishly at the two of them and proceeded to look at the ground before she spoke again.

"I- well- even if you're right I wouldn't know what to do about it."

"Well, it's lucky you have us now as your friends that can help you out with this." Lavender said while giving Hermione a genuine smile.

"Friends?"

"Of course, Hermione!"

Lavender pulled Hermione into a hug before whispering in her ear. "Harry's staring at you again."

Hermione just flushed before pulling out of the hug and started giggling.

_What are you doing to me, Potter?_

The two girls just smiled at Hermione before saying.

"Anyways, we should probably head back to our tent, we'll see you later Hermione."

"Bye!"

And with that, Hermione turned back to the boys and saw that Harry was indeed staring at her again. Hermione just raised her eyebrows at him and that simple action made him flush, something Hermione loved to see.

She made her way back to the boys and proceeded to grab Harry's hand before saying.

"Come on Harry, let's go to see those souvenirs you told me about."

Harry just nodded and they said their goodbyes to the two boys, but since Hermione turned around and started walking with Harry, she didn't see Ron make a whip gesture to the other 2 boys nor hear their snickers.

As they made their way through the camps she saw many people from Hogwarts, some she didn't recognize until Harry went up to them and said hi, like Harry's former Quidditch Captain, Oliver Wood, as well as the whole Gryffindor Quidditch team

They also spotted Cedric Digorry again only this time he was walking hand in hand with Cho Chang. The small group of five talked for a small while before finally separating.

Soon they found the person selling souvenirs and Harry bought the three of them omniculars, completely ignoring Ron and Hermione's protests that he shouldn't. After Ron bought a small figure of Krum and Harry bought some seeker gloves they made their way back to their tent where they met Mr Weasley.

"There you guys are! It's about to start, we'll be leaving the tent in half an hour so don't go anywhere."

* * *

After a short wait inside the tent and a long walk and climb, they finally managed to get to the top box. Hermione was just glad they had finally made it and wondered it was worth it for just a stupid Quidditch game but when she looked at the field she knew that it was worth it. Even though she didn't like Quidditch much, she could appreciate that they had the best seats in the stadium.

She turned to look at Ron and Harry and saw they had an awestruck expression in their face which just made her roll her eyes good naturedly at their antics.

She sat down and saw that Ron was about to sit in the seat next to her, leaving Harry in the seat next to him. Since she didn't want to just have Ron to talk to she called out to Harry.

"Harry, come sit here!" She patted the seat to her left, essentially leaving her in the middle of the two boys.

Harry smiled at her and moved to the seat next to her while Ron made an expression that she couldn't read before it went back to its cheerful Quidditch filled expression. She saw Percy take the seat that Harry was about to take and was glad she didn't have to sit beside him the whole game.

She and Harry proceeded to have an enjoyable conversation while Ron was ogling everyone inside the top box but they were interrupted when the minister came by their place, greeted Harry while ignoring her and Ron, and introduced him to the minister of magic of Bulgaria.

Harry was clearly able to pick up how Fudge was parading him to the other minister as if he were some sort of attraction and clearly didn't like it, saying his goodbyes as soon as he greeted both ministers. When he sat down, Hermione saw the last person she wanted to see at that moment, Draco Malfoy. Him and his parents reached the ministers and Lucius spoke to Fudge as if he was a close friend.

They talked for a few moments before Draco and his father turned towards her, Ron, and Harry.

"Well Weasleby, did you have to sell your house to afford your tickets here. Or maybe you just asked your rich _friend_ Potter here if he could pay for you to come watch."

Ron looked like he was about to explode at Malfoy so Hermione grabbed his arm to stop him from doing something stupid before turning back to Malfoy with the intention of putting him back in his place but was beaten to it by Harry.

"Did your daddy buy your tickets like he bought your place on the Slytherin team Malfoy?"

Ron and Hermione couldn't help but laugh at how quickly both male Malfoys expressions changed into ones of pure loathing. But before they could answer back Harry continued.

"Maybe once you leave Hogwarts, your daddy will buy you a whole team since that's the only way you could ever play professionally."

The twins joined in laughing and even Mr Weasley grinned at Harry, not caring that the ministers were there watching everything. Harry just gave Draco a smug look saying 'what are you going to do now, Malfoy'.

Draco was positively fuming with rage now and spoke before he could even think.

"At least I don't have filthy mudbloods and blood traitors as friends, Potter!"

Draco's mother immediately reached him and led him away from the Weasleys to make sure her son couldn't say anything more that would ruin the Malfoy name. As soon as they left, Lucius turned towards Harry, his face not the mask it usually is and showing complete hate.

"Be very careful how you speak to your betters, Potter!" Lucius spat while Harry just winked at him.

And with that, he walked away. Hermione turned to look towards the ministers, both having completely different expressions. Fudge looked like he was deaf and didn't hear a word of what either Malfoy said while the Bulgarian minister was openly glaring at the Malfoy family, his face one of disgust.

After the ministers left, the whole Weasley family started praising Harry for how easily he made both Malfoys lose their cool. They were suddenly interrupted when a familiar voice yelled while using the sonorous charm, making sure everyone in the stadium managed to listen to him.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and forty second Quidditch World Cup!"

The whole stadium cheered as soon as what Hermione recognized as Ludo Bagman's voice stopped. A few moments after the cheering began, Bagman spoke again, effectively silencing the whole stadium.

"Tonight we have the Bulgarian National Team-" What seemed like half of the stadium began cheering. "Against the Irish National Team!" The other half of the stadium began to cheer.

"Now, without further ado, let me introduce the mascots of the Bulgarian National Team!"

Hermione looked to the stadium and suddenly, she saw what seemed to be a swarm of about a hundred human-like creatures gliding out onto the field, loud and seductive music playing throughout the stadium.

Hermione was at a loss for what those creatures were until Mr Weasley exclaimed.

"Ah! Veelas!"

"Mr Weasley… what ar-"

She cut off when she saw Harry standing up and moving towards the veela, seemingly willing to jump off the top box to reach them.

"Harry what are you doing?"

As soon as she said that the music stopped and Harry just stood there for a moment before turning back to Hermione. He instantly flushed and looked at the ground while Hermione just said "Honestly!" and pulled him back to his seat.

She then proceeded to openly glare at the Veela, not that it mattered much since none of them saw it. She was beginning to think Harry was insane for trying to move towards the Veela until she looked around and realized that most men, and pretty much all the teenagers, were affected in some way by them.

Hermione just huffed while Harry was still blushing and looking at his feet. She turned back to Mr Weasley to ask her what she had wanted to ask.

"Mr Weasley, what are Veelas?"

"Veelas, Hermione, are magical creatures that have an allure that essentially hypnotizes men to do whatever they can to receive attention or admiration from a Veela."

"But why weren't you affected by it, then?"

"Because, there is only one way to resist the allure and that is to be in love, true and complete love, with someone. This isn't any type of love, it has to be a love so strong that even some married couples don't have, that's why you can now see some very angry wives in the crowd."

Mr. Weasley said and chuckled as he looked at the Malfoys. Hermione followed his gaze only to see both Draco and Mr Malfoy looking down at the ground, Mrs Malfoy berating them and she saw them both flinch.

As mad as Hermione was she knew she couldn't blame Harry for it, not really. But that didn't stop her from being jealous and wanting to get back at Harry for it.

Hermione looked back and saw Leprechauns throwing galleons at the stands. Knowing they were fake she didn't even bother with trying to pick them up, instead she focused her gaze on Harry. He was still as red as the Bulgarian uniform and couldn't meet her eyes. _Let's have some fun, shall we._ Hermione thought to herself before addressing Harry.

"Harry?"

Harry didn't even bother to look up at her while he answered, instead he flushed even redder.

"Yes Hermione?" He said in an unusually high voice.

Hermione couldn't help herself, she grabbed Harry's chin, moved it upwards so that he looked at her, which only made Harry's flush spread to his neck, and then proceeded to whisper in his ear in a low and slow voice.

"I never took you for someone who fancied blondes, Harry." She stepped back and saw Harry was now completely red. She winked at him and looked back at the Quidditch Pitch before she spoke again.

"The game's about to start, you know."

Harry quickly grabbed his omniculars, and pressed them to his face, trying and failing to hide his extreme flush.

The rest of the game went by pretty quickly since Hermione didn't pay attention to it, instead keeping her face glued to Harry's. Watching Harry react to the game was something really amazing, it was like seeing a kid in a candy shop. Hermione also found it incredibly amusing that from time to time he would stop looking at the game and look at her only to instantly blush when he saw she was looking at him.

While she was looking at Harry she couldn't help but to think about her previous conversation with Lavender and Parvati. They were so sure that Harry fancied her and while she loved that idea and Harry staring at her from time to time also helped their claim, she couldn't help but feel like it wasn't true.

_Why would he fancy me? He could have any girl he wanted, he wouldn't choose plain, boring Hermione, right? Besides, he wasn't able to resist the Veelas. Maybe they were just wrong and Harry doesn't fancy me._

A voice in her head that sounded a lot like Harry's interrupted her self deprecating thoughts.

_But didn't he just gush about how he thinks you're amazing only this morning? Hasn't he been staring at you throughout the day. Hasn't he spent reading with you and letting you tutor him for Runes these past few weeks? He has never minded when you hug him or grabbed his hand while he stiffens and often pulls away when other people do it. He didn't pull away when you two were snuggling earlier today, nor when you slept on his shoulder the last day at Hogwarts. Hasn't he chosen you instead of any other girl these past three years?_

She couldn't stop the smile from spreading over her face at this thought. Out of the blue, she grabbed Harry's hand and gave it a squeeze. Harry immediately stopped looking at the game and turned to watch her, he smiled while his face was still incredibly flushed and squeezed her hand back. Hermione smiled at his squeeze and put her head on Harry's shoulder, closing her eyes as soon as she felt the crook of his neck.

She didn't know how much time she spent there in her own thoughts before the scream of Ludo Bagman brought her out of her musings.

"Viktor Krum has caught the snitch but Ireland wins! Wow! Who could have predicted that!"

Hermione couldn't care less about who won the match, she was only focused on how blissful she felt at that moment.


	7. The Dark Mark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Gore, Torture, And Death
> 
> Beta-Read By HHrPie and Aani

After the game ended and Hermione, reluctantly, decided to let go of Harry's hand and stand up, the group decided to head back to their tent. As they were stepping down from the top box, every Weasley was gushing about the game. Harry was unusually quiet, though he had a goofy smile and red cheeks.

When they finally reached the ground Fred and George stopped and turned to their father and effectively the whole group in the process.

"So..."

"Dear father..."

"Do you know what this means?"

Mr Weasley just gave them a look that said, 'I'm not amused' before speaking.

"What does it mean?"

Fred and George just grinned at each other before turning back to their father.

"Since Krum caught the snitch,"

"And Ireland still won the cup,"

"We won our bet with dear old Ludo."

"So we were thinking about celebrating."

"Having a small get together at the tent."

"With our friends and family."

"Invite Lee and our old Quidditch team."

"Maybe Ronnikins or Gin Gin can also invite some friends."

"And have a small party before we go back to Hogwarts."

"And don't worry about the… **supplies**."

"We've got that covered."

"The only thing we need is your permission."

"And your assurance that mum won't find out about it."

Mr Weasley just looked at the twins like he was not amused by their twin talk, but relented when he could not find an excuse not to give them permission and sighed.

"Fine, you can take the big tent and I'll be in the girl's tent until the party's over, no later than midnight. But you will also let these four," He pointed to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. "Invite guests. And no firewhisky for them, only butterbeer. You two can't have more than a couple of shots of firewhisky."

"Deal." Both twins replied immediately.

"Father you can't be serious." Percy's pompous voice spoke.

"What a spoilsport, Percy"

"No wonder Mr Crouch can't even remember your name."

"It would be a miracle if anyone at The Ministry actually knew your name."

"Or actually thought you existed."

Percy just went red with anger but the twins continued before he could speak.

"Besides, if you don't like it, you can just apparate home."

"You've been boasting about it all summer."

"So please use it for something useful."

"Like to stop ruining other peoples nights."

"Fine! Have your pathetic party! Father, I'll be in the girl's tent with you until it's done!"

And with that Percy sped off to the tents. Bill and Charlie just shrugged before they and Mr Weasley followed the angry teenager, leaving the others behind. The twins turned back to the group of four before speaking.

"Ok, we'll go tell Lee and the rest of the team."

"Do you younglings want to invite anyone or are you going to follow on the footsteps of our annoying brother?"

"Of course! I'll go tell Dean and Seamus. I think Seamus has some **supplies** he can also bring."

And with that, Ron sped off to find the two Gryffindor boys, leaving Ginny, Harry, and Hermione alone with the twins.

"What about you, Ginny? Want to invite someone?"

"Not really, but I'm staying at the party. There's no way I will want to spend any time with Pompous Perfect Percy."

"That's our little sister!"

Fred and George turned to Harry and Hermione.

"What about you two? Anyone in mind you want to invite to the party?"

Harry just shrugged and suddenly Hermione got an idea.

"Yes, I was wondering if I could invite Lavender and Parvati?"

The twins, Harry, and Ginny gave her a confused look, clearly not expecting her to approve.

She just huffed.

"What? I can have fun too, you know?"

Harry was about to speak before the twins took over.

"It's not that you can't have fun, Hermione."

"It's just that you never choose to do it."

Hermione huffed again.

"I do have fun! I'll prove it to you! I'm going to have so much fun tonight that I'll put you two to shame!"

"You're on Miss Granger,"

"Now go get your friends."

"We don't have time to waste."

Hermione gave a harrumph and she heard Harry mumble something that sounded like "This isn't going to end well." Which only made her glare at Harry, grab his hand and pull him forcefully towards the crowd.

"Come on Harry, let's find Lavender and Parvati." She turned back to the twins and glared at them. "I'll see you back at the tent."

They walked in silence for a couple of minutes before Hermione blurted out the question that was plaguing her mind.

"DoyouthinkI'mboring?"

Harry turned back to look at her with a confused and quite red face.

"What?"

"Ugh! You know what I mean, Harry. You don't think I'm boring, do you?"

"No, Hermione. Of course not." He said but couldn't meet her eyes while he did.

After a couple of moments, he looked back and when he saw Hermione's glare he relented.

"Well, it's not like you're the most social person. You can't blame me for thinking that you don't like parties." He said meekly and gave her a nervous smile.

"I'm not boring! Contrary to popular belief I do have a life outside of school!"

Harry just gave her an amused look raising his eyebrows and smirked at her.

"Really? What do you do when you're not at school or doing homework?"

"Well… I like to read." Harry laughed at her which earned him a not too gentle shove. "Not just school books, but like fun books! Fiction novels and such! It's fun!"

Harry continued laughing before he replied.

"Ok, fine. You like to read, big surprise." Hermione just glared at him but he ignored it. "What else does Hermione Granger do at her home when she isn't fretting about her grades?"

"I like to watch movies and tv shows."

"That doesn't count! That's the same as reading just a different medium!"

"Are you saying you don't like movies?"

"No! I love movies even if I've only seen a couple. But still, I was expecting something else than the usual 'I like to watch movies, read, and listen to music'" He finished with a mischievous tone.

"Fine! I also like to go to the park in the afternoons."

"And what do you do at the park?" He said with a grin on his face.

Hermione looked at her shoes before answering in a small voice.

"Read."

Harry started chuckling a bit.

"I didn't quite catch that, what did you say?"

"You heard me perfectly well!"

"True, but my point still stands. You don't really have a social life."

Hermione just gave one last sigh of surrender and made to look down at her feet but stopped when Harry spoke.

"Still that doesn't mean you're boring. I mean, sure, you **are** boring most of the time." He teased her which caused Hermione to glare at him "But liking those things doesn't make you boring. I mean, look at me. While I love a party every now and then I much rather a quiet night inside doing stuff like what you said you do. And I am **certainly** not boring, so not liking parties doesn't make you boring by default. Liking boring stuff like school and homework makes you boring. Remember how you said you had some 400 pages to read so you wouldn't be joining the celebrations last year"

"You're impossible. You know that don't you?" She said with a small smile crossing her face

"I know, but you still stick by me anyways." He smirked at her which only caused her to roll her eyes in response but she was unable to stop her smile from turning into a small grin.

"Prat." She said while she swatted his arm

They continued searching the large crowd for the next 15 minutes in vain. Hermione was about to give up when they finally spotted the two girls.

"Lavender! Parvati!"

"Harry! Hermione!"

"Hey guys!"

"Hey! So… umm, we are going to have a party back at our tent. We were wondering if you wanted to join us?"

Lavender and Parvati looked at each other before turning back to Hermione.

"When you say party… you mean like an actual party, right? Not like a study get together or something like that."

Hermione just huffed while Harry just exclaimed "Vindication!" which made both girls giggle and Hermione shove him playfully.

"Yes Lavender, it's a party. The twins are the ones hosting it and the-"

"The twins!" Lavender said and looked back at Parvati while grinning. Both girls just squealed with excitement before turning back to Hermione. "Of course we want to go! Let me go ask my parents for permission." And with that Lavender sped off to her parents.

Hermione turned to look at Parvati. "Don't you have to go ask your parents, Parvati?"

"Oh, no. I came here with Lavender. No one in my family likes Quidditch much so they didn't want to come, and since Lavender knew I really wanted to come here but my family didn't she invited me to come with her and her family."

"Oh, great then! So… why are you excited that the twins are the ones organizing the party?"

"Are you kidding me, Hermione?" When she saw Hermione's blank face she just rolled her eyes and continued. "Fred and George throw the best parties ever! I've heard rumours of course of parties they throw over the summer when their parents aren't home and it's said they are amazing! We've always wanted to go to one, and if the Quidditch after parties are anything like their parties I can't wait!" Parvati squeaked and Lavender arrived a couple of seconds after she finished.

"Ok, my parents said it's fine as long as we get back to our tent by midnight." She turned to Hermione and gave her a small, almost unnoticeable smirk, before continuing. "Could you two escort us back to our tent before then?"

Hermione just glared at Lavender. She wasn't dumb, she knew that if Harry and she escorted them to their tent they would have a nice walk under the stars back while they headed back alone the two of them. Though that thought make Hermione give an involuntary small smile

"Sure Lavender," Harry said with a smile before Hermione could berate the girl for her plan. "You'll just have to guide us to your tent."

"Sure! Don't worry about it. Let's go then" Lavender exclaimed and as soon as Harry turned away she winked at Hermione.

The four of them headed back to the tent while talking about the cup and what they thought of the match and after ten minutes they finally reached it. When Harry opened the tent up to let the girls go through and when Hermione saw the inside of the tent she couldn't help but marvel at the sight.

Lee, Fred, and George were behind a small table that seemed to be a makeshift bar with a couple of bottles of firewhisky and a lot of jars of butterbeer. The Quidditch team took over a section of couches that surrounded a circular table while Ron, Seamus, Dean, and Ginny were at the opposite end of the tent playing with muggle cards and occasionally drinking from their butterbeer jars.

There was loud party music and everyone was laughing or talking loudly and excitedly. She turned to look at the twins and they winked at her and grinned, clearly proud of their party.

"Harry! Finally! We've been waiting for you!"

Hermione turned around to find Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson, and Alicia Spinnet, as the girls rushed towards Harry and each gave him a hug before greeting the other 3 girls.

"Waiting for me? Why?"

Katie just rolled her eyes at him and grabbed his arm, pulling him towards their spot in the tent. Hermione gave a small and unnoticeable huff before following Harry and the other three girls, while Lavender and Parvati went to join the others.

"Come on, we're taking a shot of firewhisky as a team!" Angelina told Harry as soon as the seven teens sat down while motioning at Fred and George to come join the group.

"Wait, what? You guys do know I've just turned 14, right?" Harry said while giving the three girls a smile, something that made Hermione's stomach slightly turn at the sight.

Katie Bell turned towards Harry with puppy eyes.

"Please, Harry. It's probably the last time the whole original team will be together. Please."

The other two girls and the twins also gave him their best puppy dog eyes to try to convince him while Oliver Wood laughed at his team.

Harry seemed to finally relent as he just rolled his eyes at their antics and laughed at them.

"Fine, fine. But just one! I don't want to get on her...," He jerked his head towards the direction of Hermione which made her huff and cross her arms defensively in front of her chest. "bad side."

"I really don't think it's a good idea, Harry," Hermione spoke and Harry turned to look at her and gave her an apologetic smile before the twins spoke.

"What did I tell you, Gred." Fred said with a voice of mock disappointment while shaking his head. "She's not going to let Harry take the shot. She's no fun at all."

"You're forgetting it's six against one, Forge. Surely, with the six of us, Harry will be convinced to join his team for one last hurrah."

"I can't believe you two!" Hermione exclaimed at the twins. "Your father told you specifically that the four of us," She motioned to herself, Harry, Ron, and Ginny. "Are not to drink anything other than butterbeer."

"Yeah, but you're forgetting one thing Hermione."

"Rules are meant to be broken." He winked at her and turned to Harry, offering him a shot glass with firewhisky.

Harry looked at Hermione and at his Quidditch team back and forth until he finally gave a big sigh and an apologetic look at Hermione before grabbing the drink from Fred's hand.

She watched as the whole Gryffindor team stood up in a circle, raised their glasses to the centre, they all exclaimed "Gryffindor!" and proceeded to drink from the shot glass. Immediately after everyone drank from their glass, most of them started coughing and making faces of disgust.

"Shit! It burns!" Harry cried out which caused the whole team to laugh.

"Harry! Language!" Hermione exclaimed.

Harry just quirked an eyebrow at her and started laughing.

"Excuse me? I remember you swearing like there was no tomorrow the night Remus attacked me."

The whole Quidditch team looked baffled at the thought of Hermione Granger swearing.

"T-tha-that was different! I was under a lot of stress! You almost died!"

"I wouldn't say I almost died, it was barely even a scratch!"

Hermione just shoved him and rolled her eyes before she stood up and left the team to go sit with Lavender and Parvati, muttering under her breath how stupid boys can be sometimes. When she reached the two girls she found them smirking at her, but Hermione ignored them and joined in the conversation with the boys.

She didn't know how long she spent there, they were playing card games designed to make everyone drink as much as possible. By that point, Ron and Seamus were really drunk, especially since they were drinking firewhisky, much to Hermione's chagrin, while the rest of them were barely tipsy owing to the Butterbeer.

Hermione and the other two girls, deciding they've had enough to drink for the night, stopped playing and sat down by some couches at the corner of the tent. Lavender and Parvati were talking to each other but Hermione tuned them out and focused on Harry. He seemed really happy and relaxed, happier than he had seemed to be all summer and she felt a pang of jealousy that the three girls of his Quidditch team could make Harry feel that way instead of her.

Suddenly, Harry looked directly at Hermione and gave her the lopsided grin that she loved to see on his face. The three girls followed his gaze and then turned back to Harry, shoving him playfully and saying something Hermione couldn't quite catch which made Harry flush and the three girls started laughing at him.

Hermione was brought out of her musings when she heard Lavender yell her name.

"Hermione!"

Hermione jumped a little bit and blushed sheepishly.

"Sorry! You were saying?"

Lavender gave her an impish grin before speaking.

"No, Hermione. Please, why don't we talk about Harry since you seem so preoccupied with him."

"No!" Hermione hissed with as much authority as an extremely blushing person could muster.

"You're boring." Parvati chuckled.

"You were saying?" Hermione asked again, trying to steer away from Harry completely.

"We just asked you if you were as excited to return to Hogwarts as we were."

Hermione beamed at the two girls. As much as she loved The Burrow it was nothing compared to how she felt at Hogwarts.

"Yes! I'm so excited for classes to start again!" Both girls rolled their eyes at Hermione's over-academic antics. "But I am going to miss my parents," Hermione added in a rueful voice. "I didn't get to spend much time with them this summer."

"You've never told us about your parents before, Hermione," Lavender said while Parvati nodded absentmindedly.

Hermione blushed a little at that.

"They are dentists and didn't let me eat sweets that much. They'd die if they found out how many sweets I eat while at Hogwarts" Parvati and Lavender gave her a sly grin which she ignored.

"Before Hogwarts, I used to spend a lot of time with them. One of them has always stayed home to take care of me or play with me. We'd go to the movies and for ice cream on Fridays and every Saturday stayed up late watching TV." Hermione reminisced wistfully. "As much as I love Hogwarts and spending some time in the summer with my boys, I really miss the days when it was just me, my Mum and my Dad."

"I understand what you mean, I love going home during vacations! I miss the food the most, though" Parvati said wistfully.

"Yeah, your parent's cooking is brilliant." Lavender agreed

At Hermione's questioning look Parvati continued, "Don't get me wrong, the food they serve at Hogwarts is great, but it doesn't hold a candle to the food my Aai, Baba and Ranty Dadi make."

"Ranty Dadi?"

"Oh she's a house elf. She's been in our family for a long time. She practically raised my Baba, I mean my Dad. And I call her Dadi, which basically means grandma. My Dad's mum was from Punjab and she brought Ranty Dadi with her when she married. You should see them sometimes. She is all of 2 feet tall but he still follows her every order, especially in the kitchen. My parents own a restaurant, you should come visit sometime. Maybe with Harry on a date." She said with a sly grin on her face.

Her face burned up as Lavender was about to get up when Lavender grabbed her hand and pulled her down before changing the subject.

"I also miss my parents when I'm at Hogwarts. They were always so great with me, giving me everything I wanted just to make me happy. I honestly don't know what I would do without them. I wish Hogwarts had more vacations so that I could see them more often."

"How do you guys do it? You two always seem like you don't miss home while you're at Hogwarts." Hermione asked the two girls.

"Well… while we do miss our parents and our home, we also really enjoy our time at Hogwarts. And I have Padma to talk to if I ever feel homesick. While we're there we send letters to our parents constantly and while we do miss them, we don't let it ruin our time at Hogwarts." Parvati gave Hermione a small smile.

"Exactly!" Lavender exclaimed. "If we focus only on how badly we miss our home and our parents we're missing the happiness we can have in the moment. You need to learn to enjoy the moment, Hermione. Not worrying about the uncertainty of the future or how much things are changing, if you don't focus on your happiness at the present, will you ever truly be happy?"

Hermione knew that they were right. In a way, Harry and Ron have always tried to get her to stop worrying about the future but she never could. Worrying was just a part of her at this point, but she couldn't help but think about Lavender's comment.

She knew that if she always worried about the future instead of enjoying the present she would never truly be happy. She wouldn't be able to enjoy her moments with Harry or anything else while at Hogwarts or even away from it. She knew that if they hadn't pulled her out of her shell all those years ago, she probably would have been miserable at Hogwarts. The brightest witch with the best marks of the school? Definitely. But all of that was shallow compared to the happiness she felt at just being around her boys and now her new friends.

Hermione once again looked over at her two first friends and gave them a fond smile, both of them oblivious to it, enjoying the party too much to pay attention to it. She saw Harry glance over at her. He turned back to Katie and said something before she pushed him up and he started making his way to her. Lavender and Parvati gave her a wink before getting up and moving away as Harry reached them.

"Hey you." He greeted her with a warm smile

"Hey there." She replied with a smile of her own

"So… did Miss Granger finally let loose and drink or did you berate everyone who did?"

Hermione giggled. "I wouldn't say I let loose per se."

Harry gave her a quizzical look before it turned into an amused smile.

"Is Hermione Granger drunk?"

"Of course not!" Hermione snapped but couldn't hold her giggles. "I'm only a bit tipsy, that's all."

Harry just rolled his eyes at her but kept a smile on his face.

"That's what people who are drunk always say."

Hermione playfully smacked him on the chest with the back of her hand before she giggled again.

"What about you, Potter? Are you also tipsy like me or are you like our dear Ronald." She turned to look at their friend only to see him standing on a table and nearly shouting.

"There's no one like Krum!" he slurred in his drunken voice.

"Krum?"

"Dumb Krum?"

Ron ignored the twins and exclaimed. "He's like an eagle flying on his broom! Graceful and majestic in the search of the snitch! He's so much more than an athlete! He's an artist!"

She heard Harry laugh and couldn't help but also join him and everyone else at the party.

"I think you're in love, Ron!" Ginny exclaimed and laughed with everyone else.

"Shut up!"

Fred and George stood on the table, each of them grabbed one of Ron's hands, and sang loudly.

"Viktor I love you!"

"Viktor I do!"

"When we're apart my heart beats only for you!" Both chorused and the whole tent rolled over in laughter, leaving a blushing Ron standing on the table.

Hermione turned back to look at Harry and saw that he was already looking at her. He looked as happy as she had ever seen him and she couldn't help but give him a big and genuine smile. She was extremely happy that Harry finally found a taste of the teenage life, the life he should have had, and she wished she would get to see Harry this way more often.

Unfortunately those fond thoughts were interrupted when she heard an ear piercing shriek full of agony and what sounded like a riot outside of the tent.

In that instant, she saw Harry's expression completely change, darkening and hardening, and she felt herself sober up immediately as her heart broke a little at the sudden transformation of his features.

* * *

_How could you have been so stupid! You knew this was too perfect to be true! You've been waiting for the other shoe to drop all day, Potter! And what did you do!? Go to a party!? Have fun!? You should know by now this was never meant to be your life!_

Harry mentally sighed and he felt his eyes shine with pure determination. He chanced a look at Hermione and saw how scared and concerned she seemed. He turned to Fred and George and when they looked back at him, he jerked his head in Hermione's direction and they seemed to understand because Fred started moving towards them.

As soon as Fred reached Hermione, Harry stood up and went to the entrance of the tent, as he looked outside he was welcomed to a truly horrible sight. He saw the whole campsite burning, some people running for their lives and others trying to help the ones that were injured. He looked to the other tent and saw Mr Weasley, Bill, Percy, and Charlie quickly step out. Mr Weasley yelled at Harry to go back inside.

The five of them entered the tent only to see everyone looking frightened, but Mr Weasley addressed the whole tent taking charge before anyone else could ask what was happening outside.

"You need to go! Right now! Go to the outskirts of the campsite, you'll be safe there." He turned towards the older teens. "Could you look after them," He jerked his head towards where the younger teens were. "While we go help the ministry out?"

All the older teens nodded and everyone started to make their way out the tent but Harry spoke up before anyone left.

"Mr Weasley, what's going on?" Harry asked him.

The Weasley patriarch looked conflicted for a second before he spoke.

"I'll tell you later, Harry. Right now you just need to get to safety!" He turned to look at his older sons. "Wands out, let's go help the others."

Bill and Charlie immediately grabbed their wands but Percy was left fumbling in his robes looking for them. After a couple moments, he spoke to Mr Weasley.

"Father, my wand, I-I I can't find it!"

Mr Weasley just sighed.

"Stick with your younger brothers, we'll look for it once all of this is over."

And with that, Mr Weasley, Bill, and Charlie left. The older teens looked at each other before Oliver Wood finally spoke up

"Ok, come on then!"

They all left the tent and immediately started heading for the outskirts of the campsite. Harry could see tents burning, there were so many people running and screaming that it was hard to move through the crowd. He could see the group starting to split up and was ultimately left with Fred, Angelina, Ron, Hermione, and Lavender.

People were pushing against each other and it was incredibly hard to see what was going on. He felt someone hit him in the back of the head and dropped to the ground, as Hermione's hand went flying out of his grasp. He tried to get up but felt people trying to walk over him, it took all of his strength to get up and he tried to get out of the way of the riot that was surrounding him.

He managed to step in front of what looked to be an abandoned tent and was glad to be out of there and in a relatively safe position. He felt extremely lightheaded as his vision started to become blurred. Throughout this, he heard a terrified voice shout his name but he couldn't spot where it was coming from.

After a couple of moments he gathered himself and tried to stop his head from spinning, deciding he'd try to follow the voice, but he realized that he couldn't hear it anymore. He wasn't keen on following the crowd in case he got trampled again, so he decided to go through the tents behind him and into what looked to be a dark and eerie forest

He began running through the burning tents while trying to avoid the blazes of fire coming out of them, while he did so, he spotted the crowds of people not daring to go through the tents to find safety, instead opting for the safe route through the small paths formed in the campsite. After over a minute of running, he finally managed to get away from the chaos of the campsite and into the forest and felt relieved for a second.

Suddenly, he heard an ear piercing shriek and he immediately started running towards it through the forest, managing not to trip in the harsh environment. It didn't take him long to reach the screams since they were pretty close by, but when he did he felt himself paralyze in shock.

There, on the ground, was the muggle that helped them reach their spot on the campsite earlier that day. Towering over him, was a figure dressed in black robes with a hood and a mask covering the face of the attacker, launching a red spell from his wand to the man on the floor and holding it.

Harry could hear the cloaked figure laughing as the man was squirming on the ground and screaming in pain. He recognized the curse immediately, having had nightmares about it every night for the past two and a half weeks, it was the cruciatus curse

The man stopped screaming and the figure in black looked up from the man and directly at Harry. As soon as he was facing him, the masked figure began to laugh loudly.

"Potter! Oh this is perfect! I couldn't have asked for more!" The cloaked figure spat before turning back to the man who was shaking on the ground. "I don't need you anymore, I've found myself a new toy to play with! AVADA KEDAVRA!"

"NOO!" Harry shouted but it was too late, the flash of green erupted from the cloaked figures wand and hit the man square in the chest.

He couldn't tear his eyes from the man's empty, dead eyes. There was a terrible feeling in his gut as those eyes accused him of not saving him. He wondered what happened to the man's family. Were they dead too? Were they being still tortured somewhere?

He heard the cloaked figure laugh. It was a mirthful laugh, full of glee. In that moment, Harry felt something inside him snap. He felt an all consuming rage emerge from his chest. The rage that he felt towards the cloaked figure who tortured and killed that man right before his eyes and only laughed in response. He glared defiantly at the man and in a quick movement he pulled out his wand from his robes and pointed it at the cloaked figure.

"You're going to pay for that!" Harry screamed at the figure but it only started laughing at him.

"What are you going to do to me, Potter!" The man spat and Harry could've sworn he recognized the voice of the person beneath the cloak but couldn't quite place who he was. "You're just a pathetic child who is in way over his head."

The man raised his hands in a mock gesture of surrender before continuing. "Come on Potter! Show me how I'm going to pay for that! Give me your best shot!"

"REDUCTO!"

Harry shouted moving his wand back and then forth and a blue light erupted from his wand and crashed into a shield the cloaked figure lazily put up and rebounded

He moved to the side to dodge it before moving his wand in a wave motion before shouting

"FURUNCULUS!"

He didn't wait before slashing his wand.

"IMPEDIMENTA"

He finished it with another reducto, hoping at least one of them would hit.

His hopes were dashed as the figure effortlessly shielded against his spells once again.

"Is that all? Is that how The Great Harry Potter is going to make me pay for killing a filthy muggle." The figure drawled before he began to laugh mirthfully again and Harry decided to use this opportunity to once again send a reducto at the man but the curse was once again intercepted by the shield.

"Pathetic! And to think people actually compare you to The Dark Lord! Well not anymore!"

Harry reacted purely on instinct when he suddenly saw a blue spell flying directly at him.

"PROTEGO!"

He barely managed to slash his wand and cast a shield before the spell shattered it and hit him, sending him flying, crashing harshly on the trunk of a tree. He immediately felt extremely lightheaded again, his vision was clouded by spots and he felt his ears buzz. He felt his ribs crack when the explosive spell hit him and he also felt his back scream in pain at him as he crashed into the tree.

He could feel his body was about to pass out, but willed it into staying conscious. Suddenly, he felt someone grab his face harshly and pulled it upwards, forcing Harry to look directly at the mask of the cloaked figure.

"I'm going to kill you Potter! But that doesn't mean I can't have my fun before I do so. It's time you learn to respect you betters, Potter!" He finished and Harry could almost picture his malicious grin behind his mask.

In an instant he knew who this man was.

"Malfoy!" He groaned out.

The cloaked figure he now knew was Malfoy just laughed and as he dropped Harry's jaw from his hand, Harry felt his body crash on the ground again. He was trying to pick himself back up to stand against Malfoy before he heard him cry out.

"CRUCIO!"

Harry suddenly felt an unbearable pain course through every inch of his body. This pain was unlike what he imagined the cruciatus curse would feel like, and unlike in the dreams he could actually describe how he felt. It was as if his insides were burning. His bones, his organs, his veins, his very blood felt like it was on fire.

He squirmed on the ground and screamed in agony. His screams were so hoarse and loud that he could feel his throat hurting as they drowned out Malfoy's laughs.

At this point he didn't know how long it had been since Malfoy had cast the curse at him, but it had felt like an eternity to him. He was almost convinced that the pain would never stop, that Malfoy wouldn't let go of the curse and it would kill him.

After what felt like another eternity, he finally felt all the pain stop at once. Harry was shaking in the ground uncontrollably in a fetus position, whimpers of pain escaped his lips, and he felt as tears of pain started leaving his eyes involuntarily even though he had tried everything to hold them back.

"The Great Harry Potter!" Malfoy continued taunting. "So weak! So pathetic! So useless!" He began to laugh again while Harry was crying and shaking pathetically on the ground. "I'm not going to kill you yet, Potter! Not until you beg for death! So… are you going to beg Potter?"

Harry spit at Malfoy's shoes, not trusting his own voice from sounding hoarse and pathetic. Immediately after he did he once again felt that unbearable pain. He squirmed, yelled, and shook on the ground for another eternity before it stopped.

"Come on Potter! I'm getting bored! Beg! Beg for death!"

Harry again spit at Malfoy's shoes.

"Have it your way, Potter! Ossium Effringo!"

Malfoy shouted and sent a spell directly to Harry's hips and he screamed in pain as he felt them break painfully. Unfortunately for him, Malfoy wasn't done just yet.

"Ossium Conrigo!"

As Malfoy cast that spell against his hips, he felt as the bones slowly started healing themselves, and shifting into their original position. The pain was even worse than when he felt his bones break and the process was extremely slow. He screamed until his throat faltered and he couldn't produce a sound anymore.

"Ossium Effringo!"

Again, he felt his hip bones break painfully, his face contorted in extreme pain and even as he opened his mouth to scream, he couldn't hear anything more than small and almost unnoticeable moans of pain. He could hear Malfoy laughing at him trying and failing to scream, basking in Harry's suffering.

Malfoy sent a bludgeoning hex directly to his face and continued laughing.

"Beg, Potter! Beg for de-"

Malfoy was interrupted when there was a loud bang of sound from the sky. Both of them turned to look upwards and Harry saw a large green skull with a snake coming out of his mouth. Harry immediately got an extremely eerie feeling about it and decided to stop looking at the symbol and turn his attention to Malfoy.

Harry thought that if Malfoy didn't have his mask he would've seen his face completely pale since his posture was one that conveyed shock and extreme fear at the same time. After a couple of moments, he watched Malfoy apparate away and as soon as he did, Harry passed out.

* * *

"MORSMORDRE!"

Hermione heard a voice cry out and almost immediately heard a loud bang coming from the sky. She turned to look at it and saw it, the dark mark. She had read that the dark mark was usually cast as a symbol of victory from the death eaters. This caused her to panic, Harry had been missing for over half an hour and she had been frantic about it all the time.

As soon as she realized he was missing, she had tried to go find him but was restrained by Fred and Angelina. She had tried to fight their hold over her but by the time they let her go it was already too late, there was no way she could have found him, especially with the whole crowd of people. She wanted to cry and yell at Fred and Angelina for stopping her from trying to reach Harry but decided to do that later. She needed to be focused to get to safety and breaking down wasn't an option.

The five of them managed to get through the forest and find a place away from the campsite where they would be safe, it had been quiet for the past 5 minutes until that voice cried out and cast the dark mark.

She looked around and saw the four of them looking at the sky with fear plastered all over their faces. The five of them stood there in shock for a moment before Hermione heard several loud cracks and saw multiple wizards with their wands trained upon the group.

"Down!" Fred shouted and grabbed Hermione's hand before ducking, bringing her down with him.

She saw that all of the group managed to crouch and as soon as they were all down she heard the wizards cast a spell she didn't recognize and red spells erupted from their wands at exactly the same time. Hermione stayed there crouching, eyes closed, hands covering her face, before she heard a voice yell.

"STOP! Those are my sons!"

She opened her eyes and saw Mr Weasley, with Bill and Charlie behind him, rushing towards them. He harshly pushed some of the wizards aside to open a space so that he could reach them. As soon as he did, he grabbed Fred and Ron to a hug.

"You've been found at the scene of the crime!" A wizard called out. "Who did it! Who conjured it!" He jerked his hand up and pointed to the mark

"Barty, they're just kids! They weren't the ones that cast it! For Merlin's sake these are Harry Potter's friends!"

The wizard looked undeterred by Mr Weasleys comments and was still pointing his wand at the group of teens. Suddenly, Hermione gasped.

"Mr Weasley, do you know where Harry is?"

The Weasley patriarch gave her a look that answered her question before he spoke.

"Wasn't he with you?"

Hermione tried to stifle a sob as the image of Harry dead on the ground appeared in her mind, but failed, she felt tears begin to form in her eyes and was trying to push them back but wasn't able to do it.

"H-He was with us. But w-we got separated in the commotion."

She saw all of the wizards suddenly get grim looks on their face and Mr Weasley looked like he aged a couple of years in a few seconds. Mr Weasley went to talk to the other wizards for a few moments before he returned back to the teens.

"We'll find him, Hermione. Right now you just need rest. Go ba-"

"No! I'm not resting until we find him! I'm coming with you!"

Mr Weasley looked like he wanted to deny her request but faltered by the glare she gave him.

"Ok, you can come with me. But you're staying close to me at all times." Hermione nodded and he turned to look at Fred. "Could you and Angelina take the kids back to the tent and then try to find the others while Hermione and I look for Harry?"

Fred gave his father a serious nod before turning back to Angelina and huddling with her. Mr Weasley started to walk towards the campsite and Hermione was about to follow him but stopped when she felt someone grab her arm gently. She turned to find Lavender, tears falling from her eyes, before she encased Hermione in a hug and whispered to her.

"He's going to be fine Hermione. You'll find him."

Hermione felt some tears leave her eyes before she backed away from the hug and gave her a watery smile.

"Thanks Lavender. We'll see each other soon."

Lavender gave her a smile and nodded before she went back to the other teens. Ron, still drunk since nobody could do magic outside of school and help him with a sobering charm, gave her a smile and a nod which she returned. Hermione then turned back and ran to catch up with Mr Weasley, but could hear one of the wizards asking the others to stay and answer a few questions before leaving to find the others.

They spent close to half an hour of searching on the outskirts of the campsite before Hermione gave a yell that betrayed the desperation she felt for not being able to find Harry. Mr Weasley looked at her sympathetically.

"We're going to find him, Hermione. Harry's strong, I'm sure he's alright."

"But what if he isn't! What if someone attacked him! Or-" Hermione gave a sigh of surrender as she finally let those dark thoughts cross her mind.

"You have to believe that he's going to be alright, Hermione. There's not much we can do until we find him." Mr Weasley said in a resigned tone.

"I know, that's what I hate about it. I hate feeling this useless, I hate myself for not doing anything to find him before you showed up."

Mr Weasley stopped in his tracks, turned to look at Hermione, and knelt to be on her eye level.

"Hermione," Mr Weasley spoke with the sternest yet earnest voice she had ever heard from him. "This isn't your fault. There's nothing you could have done about it." He gave her a smile before he continued. "I'm sure he's going to be alright. Come on, let's go looking near the campsite to see if he's alright."

They continued looking for another couple minutes before they found a forest near the campsite. Hermione and Mr Weasley made their way through most of it and decided that maybe they should check the campsite to see if Harry had returned there. It was when they made their way through a shortcut that would lead them to the campsite that they finally spotted Harry.

He was laying down on the ground looking as close to death as she had ever seen him. Hermione immediately ran towards him, ignoring Mr Weasley's protests to stay back. When she reached him she saw that his shirt was also covered in blood. His face was heavily bruised and bloodied, his nose and jaw broken. She tried to touch his chest to look for a heartbeat but immediately stopped when she felt his ribs broken.

After seeing Harry's broken body she couldn't hold it any longer and began sobbing and crying uncontrollably. He was on the ground, blood everywhere looking more broken than she'd ever seen him, she was sure that he was most likely dead and that thought paralyzed her completely.

Mr Weasley rushed to her side and tried to calm her but couldn't, he immediately reached to Harry's neck and after a few seconds he gave a sigh of relief. He looked back towards her and placed his hand on her shoulder, she looked up at him and saw him smiling sadly.

"He's alive, just barely but he still has a pulse."

Hermione just started crying more. Tears of joy, of relief, of sadness, escaped her eyes as if she had an endless supply of them.

Amidst her cries and sobs she didn't realize when Mr Weasley sent some sparks to the sky nor when some wizards arrived and spoke to him and left with Harry. It was only when he knelt down and grabbed Hermione's shoulder gently again that she turned her attention to him.

"They've taken him to an infirmary tent at the campsite, they should be able to fix him up there." He sighed for a moment before he turned his gaze to her. "I'd like you to go back to our tent, you ne-"

"No! I-I'm not leaving him! H-he needs me! I'm not leaving him alone again!"

Mr Weasley just gave a sad sigh before he continued.

"I imagined you would say that, I was just hoping that you could get some rest after what happened tonight."

"I can't! I can't rest while he's like that! I can't sleep while my best friend is as close to dead as he's ever been! I'm not leaving him!"

Mr Weasley gave her a smile and if Hermione didn't know any better, she would've thought he looked rather proud for a moment. He stood up and offered her his hand which she took.

They walked in silence with a wizard leading her and Mr Weasley to the tent where Harry was at. It only took about twenty minutes for them to reach the infirmary tent and step inside. There, she saw many people with a lot of different injuries, some looked better than Harry while some to her shock, looked worse; something she didn't even think was possible. Hermione also saw some bodies with a sheet covering them, and she audibly sobbed at the thought of how close Harry came to being one of them.

They moved past most people and reached a bed that was closed off to the majority of the public. She looked at Mr Weasley and when she saw him nod at the curtain Hermione opened them and stepped inside hastily. The mediwitch there looked like she was about to send her out but stopped at the glare she gave her.

"It's ok, she can stay in here. She's a friend of his." The wizard informed the mediwitch and she only huffed in response.

Hermione immediately sat down on the chair next to the bed and grabbed her best friends hand while looking attentively at his face. Harry was already looking much better, she could tell that his nose and jaw weren't broken anymore, all the blood had been cleaned and the bruises had been removed. Hermione saw multiple potions in a table near him, one of which was Skele-Gro which seemed to have already been administered to Harry while he was passed out. He seemed peaceful, almost sleeping instead of unconscious, but when she watched him she could only see the image of how she had found him earlier, broken and close to dead.

"How is he?" Hermione heard Mr Weasley ask the mediwitch.

The mediwitch gave a long sigh before she spoke. "It's a miracle he's still alive. He had a lot of broken bones - ribs, hips, and back, internal bleeding, a head injury which caused a concussion, his vocal cord where extremely damaged by screaming, and…" The mediwitch faltered for a second before continuing. "...And he was under the cruciatus curse for nearly half an hour."

Hermione gasped and sobbed as the mediwitch said this. She had started to silently cry when she heard all of the injuries he had endured, but when she heard that Harry had been under the cruciatus curse, and for half an hour, she couldn't hold it anymore.

"I've given him Skele-Gro for his bones, fixed up his vocal cords and head injury, gave him blood replenishing potions, and a potion that will help him deal with the after effects of the cruciatus curse. There will be no lasting damage in the long term, but his body will involuntarily shake at moments for the next few days. As long as he continues taking the potion he should be fine, but if he had been tortured with it for any longer the after effects might have been permanent." The mediwitch said solemnly.

"Oh, Harry!" She said and began to cry, leaning her head on his shoulder, partly to muffle the sounds of her sobs but mostly to feel him alive. She needed to feel him, to reassure herself that he hadn't left her, that he was still there.

Mr Weasley placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder before turning to leave the room with the mediwitch, leaving her alone with Harry.

When they left, Hermione broke down completely as she never had done before. She didn't even try to regain her composure, to stop the tears from coming, to try to act strong for Harry, she knew that she couldn't do it, not right now.

She wasn't sure how long she cried and sobbed until she finally fell asleep.

As much as Hermione tried to focus on the fact that Harry was still alive and well, her mind wouldn't let the image of Harry nearly dead and fractured in the forest. That was the image that haunted her nightmares when she finally managed to fall asleep.


	8. What Was His Name?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta-Read By HHrPie and Aani

Harry tried to open his eyes but couldn't. It had been a couple of moments since he woke up and he was feeling more tired than he ever had. He felt like the Whooping Willow had used him as a punching bag, every little movement caused him pain. He could hear muffled voices far away and could feel someone grip his hand tightly as if they were clinging to him for life. He felt his body shake involuntarily and as it shook, he felt a pang of pain across his whole body. He felt whimpers of pain trying to escape his lips but he managed to stop them before they could, he wasn't going to act like a scared child, even though a part of him thought that was all he was.

He lay still for a couple of moments, trying to make out the voices outside but couldn't make out what they were saying. One voice was nearly shouting and seemed to be cross at the other. He tried to focus on their voices, to make out what they were saying but all he could hear were the screams of the man. He couldn't stop thinking about the man and those dead, cold empty eyes gazing at him.

He felt cold inside.. like he'd never be happy again, and he was eerily reminded of how dementors made him feel. Except he didn't think this feeling would ever go away.

"How is he?" A voice cut through the haze. He tried to focus on it, to get away from the screams that were drowning him.

"He's stable, he should be waking up shortly. We'll need to give him the potion against the cruciatus, he's been shaking involuntarily all morning."

There was a small silence before the first voice spoke again.

"I'll go tell everyone." There was another silence before the voice spoke again. "You look really tired, Hermione. I can't convince you to come to The Burrow and get some sleep, can't I?"

"No, Mr Weasley." Said a determined voice that Harry recognized immediately. "I'll go back to The Burrow when he comes back."

Harry could hear Hermione sigh before another familiar voice spoke.

"How is everyone back home?"

"I wish I could say everything was fine, Ron." The first voice spoke again. "Percy is still detained and being questioned about the dark mark, even after I tried telling them that he lost his wand before the riot began. Your mother needed a calming drought because she couldn't stop worrying about Percy's situation and Harry being… well… in his current state."

There was a severe silence and Harry started feeling intense pain in his chest. He managed to suppress the groans from escaping his lips before the first voice continued speaking.

"The ministry wants to question Harry. There have been aurors waiting outside all morning for Harry to wake up so that they can interrogate him about what happened." The voice sighed. "I tried to convince them to come by the Burrow tomorrow and interview him then, but they wouldn't do it. They're waiting for him just outside to interview him as soon as he walks out of here."

"That's… that's… that's.." Harry could hear Hermione's outraged voice and picture her incredulous expression.

"I know." Was all the other voice said and a couple of moments later, Harry heard the curtain open and close again.

At hearing the curtains open and close again Harry assumed that everyone had left. No longer managing to get through the pain he let an aching moan escape from his mouth. As soon as he did, he heard an extremely loud gasp.

"Harry!"

He felt two small but surprisingly strong arms engulf him in a bone crushing hug, something that didn't help the pain in his chest and forced a loud groan from escaping his lips. Immediately he heard a squeak and he felt Hermione's hands slip from the hug. As painful as it had been, it was much better than the screams ringing in his ears.

"Sorry!" She apologised immediately.

Harry managed to open his eyes and the first thing he saw was Hermione with a face full of concern. Behind her was Ron, looking more sombre than he had ever seen him.

"How are you feeling mate?"

Harry didn't know how to respond to that. Physically, he felt awful. He was aching all over and really wanted some of the pain relieving potions Madam Pomfrey always gave him when he was at the Hogwarts infirmary. And that pain couldn't even compare to how he felt, the image of the dead man staring at him still haunting him even when he had his eyes open. He began to shudder by just thinking about him which caused him to feel like his insides were burning again. He once again let out a moan of pain.

He didn't even manage to answer before what Harry assumed to be a healer opened the curtains and entered the room. She immediately started to cast spells at Harry before giving a nod as she examined him thoroughly. Harry turned back to look at Hermione and Ron, and saw that their faces only grew more concerned by his shudder and moans of pain.

The healer thrust a couple of different potions on the table beside him before looking at him in a way that reminded him of Madam Pomfrey.

"Now, I already told your guardian about this but I'm telling you nonetheless. For the next seven days you will need to stay in bed and you can't do anything that may cause your body stress. You will need to take these potions during this time, especially this one," She said while grabbing a vial with a bright scarlet potion.

"Don't worry," Hermione spoke from behind him to the medi-witch. "I'll make sure that he doesn't do anything strenuous for the next week."

"Now, Mr Potter," The healer continued, turning to look back at him. "It is really important that you take all the potions to counter the pain twice a day, especially the potion I told you about before." She once again grabbed the scarlet red potion. "If you fail to take your bidaily doses of it, the after-effects of the cruciatus will become permanent."

The witch grabbed the potions, shrunk them, and put them in a small bag which she placed on the table next to Harry's bed. The mediwitch turned to glare at him before she continued.

She continued talking but at this point Harry couldn't listen to her anymore. Not because he didn't care what the healer was telling him, but because he started hearing the screams of the man slowly rise in his mind. He tried to tune them out, but while he managed to tune out what the healer was telling him, he couldn't stop the screams growing louder and louder in his mind.

Harry closed his eyes, he wanted it to stop. He wanted to stop seeing the man's empty expression in his mind and to stop hearing his screams. But the more he tried, the louder the screams became, until they were unbearable.

"STOP!" Harry cried out after he couldn't take it anymore and when he did the screams became more silent but he could still hear them.

Once he opened his eyes again he saw the three people in the room giving him puzzled but concerned expressions.

"I'm fine. I should get going." Harry tried standing up but when he did he groaned in pain and slumped back down to the bed.

"Mr Potter! Lay down this instant or I'll have you sent to St. Mungo's immediately!"

Harry did as he was told, gulped down nearly half a dozen potions and after waiting close to 20 minutes, the effects of the potions finally kicked in and physically, he felt a lot better. He saw the curtains to the tent open and Mr Weasley came inside, giving Harry a sad smile.

"Harry! It's good to see you up and about!" Said Mr Weasley with a cheerful voice that seemed a little forced in Harry's opinion. "How are you holding up?"

Harry just shrugged and saw that Mr Weasley's smile faltered a little for a moment before composing itself. He turned to Ron and Hermione.

"Could you two wait outside while I talk to Harry?"

Hermione and Ron nodded and left through the curtain, but not before Hermione turned around and gave Harry a small and sad smile, which he couldn't reciprocate; her eyes lingering on his face for a moment longer before she walked out. He turned back to look at Mr Weasley and he was looking anxious.

"Harry… I know this isn't the best time, but there are some people from the ministry tha-"

"I know," Harry groaned out. His throat still hurt. "I heard you earlier. It's fine."

Mr Weasley gave him a slightly pitying look before kneeling down to his level, grasping his shoulder lightly, and giving him a small smile.

"Don't worry, Harry. I'll be here with you through all of it."

"Thank you, Mr Weasley." Harry said in the same tone as before.

Mr Weasley gave him a curt nod before standing up, stepping out of the tent for a moment and talking to two people, before stepping back inside with them, Mr Weasley remaining in the corner while the other two men approached Harry. One was a rather tall and stern looking wizard who gave Harry a small nod while the other was a short yet tough looking wizard who was carrying a metal basin.

"Good morning, Mr Potter." The tall wizard extended his hand for Harry to shake it, which he promptly and stiffly did. "I am Auror Proudfoot and this is my partner Auror Savage."

Harry turned to look at the other man who gave Harry a calculating look before his eyes drifted upwards towards his scar. Harry turned back to the man who identified himself as Proudfoot.

"We were hoping you could show us what happened last night," Proudfoot said in a way that shows it was an order, not a request.

"Show you?"

Proudfoot turned back to his partner who gave him the metal basin. The man then placed it in front of Harry.

"This is a pensieve. It allows people to view certain memories as if they were there when it happened. We only need for you to provide the memory and answer a few questions we have after watching it."

Harry gave a small nod.

"Now, I need you to think about the memory of last night, try to remember every detail. I'm going to put my wand to your temple and remove a copy of it."

Harry once again gave an almost imperceptible nod and thought of the memory. It wasn't hard to think about every detail in it, it was as if the memory was burned into his mind and he would never forget a single detail of it. He remembered the smell of burning, the screams of people, the feeling of burning and breaking that broke him last night, the sight of the man's dead eyes. He almost didn't feel when the auror placed his wand on his temple and removed a silvery substance from it.

He placed the silvery substance on the basin and after stirring it around a bit, both men submerged their heads inside of it and stood there in what seemed like a state of suspended animation.

Harry didn't know how long he waited there for the two wizards to return, but the screams returned. He wished he could forget everything that happened, that he didn't need to see or hear those screams or look into those eyes ever again.

Finally, he saw as they broke out of their state of suspended animation and turned towards Harry. They looked extremely disturbed by what they had seen, but they also had a look Harry couldn't identify, it was somewhere between confusion, pride, and respect.

The 4 people stayed in silence for a couple of moments before it was finally broken by Savage.

"How did you do that?" The auror asked Harry earnestly.

"What?" Harry's voice was still hollow, but there was a spark of confusion in it.

"You duelled a death eater before you even started your fourth year and lived to tell the tale. You managed to easily cast spells that even some seventh years have trouble with and you managed to raise a shield in time to intercept the death eater's curse." He said with a slight tone of admiration.

Harry was numb to the praise. The last thing he wanted right now was to be praised for being pummeled, broken, and completely destroyed by Malfoy. Besides, his mind was still focused on the man Malfoy killed.

"I didn't do anything. None of my spells even touched Malfoy and my shield was way too weak. The only reason I'm not dead was because Malfoy apparated away after that thing appeared on the sky."

The two men looked at each other before Proudfoot finally turned to Harry.

"That was one thing we wanted to ask you. Why did you think the death eater was Malfoy?"

Harry remained with an impassive face and a hollow tone.

"I'd recognize that bastard's voice anywhere. Besides, he didn't try to hide it. At the World Cup, he told me that: ' _It's time I learn to respect my betters._ '" Harry finished with a tone of disgust. "Something he repeated to me before he tortured me. That's why I'm sure it was Malfoy."

The aurors turned to each other and began speaking in whispers and his mind went back to the dead man. He didn't know how long he spent there, with only the sound of the faraway screams of the man in his mind, before the two men finally separated and looked back at Harry.

"Well, I don't think we have any more questions. Thank you for your testimony, Mr Potter." Proudfoot said before turning back to Mr Weasley. "Arthur, we're going to be placing an auror on the outskirts of your home for some extra protection, Rufus's orders."

Mr Weasley looked relieved about it.

"Thank you, Proudfoot. I really appreciate that."

Proudfoot turned back to look at Harry, gave him a nod, and then proceeded to make his way to the curtain.

Harry couldn't stop thinking about the man. He was wondering why they didn't even bring him up in their extremely brief questioning. He wondered who he was? How was his family dealing with his death? Were they even alive? What did he do before coming here? What was his life like?

Many questions plagued Harry's mind and he was sure that this would be his last chance to ask them. A part of him didn't want to know, it would just make his death more real to him, and he was sure that it would cause him more nightmares. But he didn't care about that. He needed to know who that man was, he needed to acknowledge that he was a person, who had his future stolen. He needed to come to terms with the fact that because of him, people were grieving that man.

So, just as Proudfoot reached the curtain and was about to pull it back, Harry, staring straight and not looking at the two men, asked the question that was bothering him the most ever since he woke up.

"That man…" Proudfoot and Savage turned to him with a confused look in their face. "The one Malfoy killed… what was his name?"

The silence that came after it was deafening. It seemed like it lasted an eternity. After he couldn't take it anymore he turned to look at the two aurors. Their expressions showed many emotions. They portrayed shock, confusion, thoughtfulness, guilt, and shame, all at the same time. Looking at their faces, Harry felt his chest constrict and his heart ache. He knew the answer before they even spoke. It seemed like another eternity before Savage finally spoke, his voice was as hollow as Harry's.

"I… I don't know."

Harry just looked downwards. He felt himself go numb at his words, he couldn't believe it. A part of him was incredibly angry at them. How could they not even know his name? Something as basic as his name? It was as if they didn't even consider him worthy of investigating his death. He always knew the wizarding world was extremely prejudiced, but he never thought it was **this** prejudiced.

He wanted to yell at them, to scream and let out all the anger he had felt for the past 16 hours. But that anger didn't last for more than a second, as his own guilt, shame and shock made him go numb inside. He didn't feel anything, he didn't think he would feel anything ever again.

So he just looked downwards and the excruciating silence returned. He didn't know how much time passed by before the curtain opened again and closed briefly after that. He couldn't stop thinking about that man and now, his thoughts also drifted to how the wizarding world had treated him. He thought he would feel enraged, but he didn't. He just felt numb.

He was brought out of his musings when he felt someone grab his arm. He slowly looked up and saw Mr Weasley eyeing him with an extremely concerned expression. Harry tried to give him a small smile to calm him down, but he couldn't manage to do so.

"Come on, Harry. Let's go home."

Mr Weasley helped Harry up from his bed, grabbed the bag with the shrunken potions, and proceeded to walk out of the curtains followed closely by Harry.

After that, everything went by for Harry like a blur. He wasn't even sure what happened after leaving the tent, the next thing he knew was that he was grabbed in a tight hug by Mrs Weasley as soon as he arrived. When she finally let him go he didn't say anything, he just walked on, ignoring everyone's questions.

He went to the bathroom and began taking a shower. He felt dirty, and no matter how much he tried to scrub and clean himself, that feeling didn't go away. Nothing would go away. Not the screams, not the face, not the eyes. Nothing. After nearly 15 minutes of trying to clean himself he gave up, and spent close to half an hour just standing there as the water kept falling on him. He couldn't think.

Following almost an hour in the shower, he finally stepped out of the bathroom after clothing himself and brushing his teeth. He went to Ron's bedroom without thinking, closed the door and sat in the corner of the room, his knees in front of his body.

He didn't know how much time he spent sitting there, letting the screams of the man and his empty eyes torture him for his failure, feeling the mirror in the pocket of his jeans constantly warm up, alerting him to a call he was receiving, before he heard someone call out to him.

"Harry dear… how are you?"

"I'm fine," He replied without looking at Mrs Weasley's concerned face.

He knew that Mrs Weasley was just concerned about him, but he knew that he didn't need this right now.

"Come on, dear. Let's get you up to bed."

She put the tray of food and potions on Ron's nightstand before coming back to Harry and reaching out to him. Harry let himself be pulled up and led to the bed where he sat on the edge, close to the nightstand. Mrs Weasley grabbed the potions and brought them to his lips.

After drinking all of the potions, Mrs Weasley passed him the tray of food, which he held on his lap. After a couple of moments of silence where nobody did anything, Mrs Weasley spoke again while Harry was just looking at the corner of the room.

"Come on, Harry. You need to eat."

"I'm fine."

"You really need to eat something dear, you haven't eaten anything all day."

"I'm fine."

"Do you want something different to eat?"

"I'm fine."

More moments of silence passed before Harry turned back to look at Mrs Weasley and he saw that she was silently crying.

"Harry, please let me help you. Talk to me."

"I'm fine."

Mrs Weasley continued to cry silently and Harry turned back to look at the corner where he was sitting only some moments ago. He heard a sniff and turned back to look at Mrs Weasley who had her face full of tears by this point. She gave him a small, watery smile.

"If you need anything, even if you just need to talk. I'm here, Harry."

Harry just gave her an imperceptible nod before she gave him a small hug he couldn't manage to reciprocate, stood up and slowly left the room. As she did, Harry continued to hear her sniffs.

After Mrs Weasley left, he didn't know how much time he spent sitting there on the bed, letting the screams of the man continue to torture him

He didn't know how long he sat there but the next thing he knew was Sirius shaking him by the shoulders. Sirius engulfed him in a hug as soon as he met his eyes.

They stayed in the embrace for a long minute before Sirius stepped back and tapped his head with his wand. He felt a shiver run down his body before he saw Sirius tap himself on the head and disappear from view.

Before he could open his mouth to ask what was happening he felt Sirius grab his arm and start pulling him towards the window. They climbed out of the window and onto the ledge. Sirius pulled him to its edge.

"Don't make a sound, we are going to jump down." SIrius whispered before pulling him over the edge. He felt wind rush by before Sirius muttered something and felt himself glide back toward the ground as though weightless, landing painlessly on the ground below.

Once they landed Sirius pulled him in the direction of the orchard. They made their way there as silently as they could before. Once there Sirius turned and he felt himself being squeezed through a pipe again as Sirius apparated him.

At the moment they arrived, the kitchen door opened and Remus came out and immediately ran towards Harry and engulfed him in a hug

They slowly parted and the three of them went inside the kitchen where they took their seats, with Remus and Sirius facing Harry. There were a couple moments of silence before Sirius spoke.

"How are you, Harry?"

"I'm fine."

The two Marauders clearly weren't happy with that answer.

"Harry…" Remus proceeded tentatively. "What happened last night?"

Harry just looked into the ground and spoke in a hollow voice.

"I don't want to talk about it."

He felt Sirius leave his chair and kneel down in front of him.

"I know, Harry." He spoke calmly. "Trust me, I know what it's like to suffer through a traumatic experience. You can't keep it bottled up or it will become a poison that will slowly kill you from inside."

Harry turned his gaze at him and Sirius met in unwaveringly.

"You may not know it yet, but you are fighting a war, Harry. Except you have no idea what war does to you. You don't know how it slowly cuts your soul into pieces. How it changes you until you become someone you don't recognize. And keeping everything inside will only make it worse. You need people like me, and Remus, and Hermione, and Ron. People to remind you of who you truly are."

He stood up and went back to sit besides Remus.

"Harry… please tell us." Remus spoke with his calming voice.

Harry took a deep breath and began telling them everything, starting just a little bit before the party ended all the way through when he finally fell unconscious. While he was relaying last night's events, Sirius and Remus's expressions changed multiple times through the story. They went from harsh faces, judging the stupidity of running towards the screams instead of against them, sorrow when he told them of the man who died, pride when he tried to duel Malfoy, and horror as he described how Malfoy tortured him.

He looked up and saw Sirius and Remus's horrified expressions once more, but neither men said anything, something which Harry appreciated. After a couple of moments of silence he asked the question that had been in his mind all day.

"Will they ever stop?"

Remus and Sirius gave him a puzzled look.

"Will what stop Harry?" Remus asked in a tone filled with concern.

"The screams."

Sirius and Remus's expressions changed back into their horrified ones as he said this, and for some reason, he couldn't understand, he didn't stop talking.

"I haven't stopped hearing them since I woke up. I keep hearing the man scream out in pain over and over again while his dead eyes watch me." Harry couldn't stop his voice from cracking up and as much as he tried to keep the tears inside, he just couldn't. "I just keep hearing them and I want them to stop. Why won't they stop, Sirius? Why can't they just stop?"

Sirius immediately leapt from his chair towards him and gave him a hug which made him break out into sobs while the tears kept coming.

"I just want them to stop, Sirius. Please make them stop." He kept repeating while Sirius just held him and tried his best to soothe him.

After a couple of minutes where Harry just cried on Sirius's shoulder while Remus looked at the scene and was also shedding some tears of his own, Harry pulled out of Sirius's hug. When he stepped back, he saw that Sirius also had a couple of tears on his face. Sirius knelt down in front of Harry once more and grabbed his arms.

"They will stop, Harry. It will get better with time, I promise."

Harry just nodded and Sirius pulled him back into a fatherly hug.

The two of them stayed there for a couple of moments and as he shed those tears, he slowly felt his burden lighten, even if it was just a little bit. But the screams just wouldn't stop.

* * *

The days went by incredibly slowly to Harry, he didn't manage to sleep at all during the first night at the Burrow, and when he finally managed to sleep, he was still being haunted by nightmares. The few hours he spent sleeping during the next few days he couldn't escape them, and unfortunately, these weren't the nightmares Harry was accustomed to. Voldemort wasn't torturing him anymore, instead, he was transported to the previous night's riot.

_Harry began running through the burning tents while trying to avoid the blazes of fire coming out of them, while he did so, he spotted the crowds of people not daring to go through the tents to find safety, instead opting for the safe route through the small paths formed in the campsite. After over a minute of running, he finally managed to get away from the chaos of the campsite and into the forest and felt relieved for a second._

_Suddenly, he heard an ear piercing shriek and he immediately started running towards it through the forest, managing not to trip in the harsh environment. It didn't take him long to reach the screams since they were pretty close by, but when he did he felt himself paralyze in shock._

_There, on the ground, was the man that Malfoy killed last night, squirming around the floor in over him, was a figure dressed in black robes with a hood and a mask, covering the face Harry knew was Malfoy's, launching a red spell from his wand to the man on the floor and holding it._

_Harry could hear Malfoy laughing as the man was rolling on the ground and screaming in pain. He could feel the agony of the man as he remembered what it was like to be cursed with the cruciatus._

_Harry looked for his wand in his pocket but couldn't find it, he looked all over him and stopped only when he had searched every possible place where it could have been and was convinced that he had lost it._

_He turned back to look at Malfoy, who was still torturing the man with the cruciatus curse. Harry began running, as fast as he could hoping to reach the man, to save him, to avoid what he knew would happen._

_But as much as he tried to run towards them, as he mustered all of his strength, he couldn't get to them. He felt as if he was running in place and could only watch in horror as the man was tortured right before his eyes._

_Hours and hours Harry spent trying to reach the two men, but he was unable to. Ending up kneeling on the ground due to his tiredness. And only when he resigned himself that he couldn't stop Malfoy, that he couldn't save the man, did Malfoy turn to look at him and began laughing loudly._

" _Potter! Oh this is perfect! I couldn't have asked for more!" The cloaked figure spat before turning back to the man who was shaking on the ground. "I don't need you anymore, I've found myself a new toy to play with! AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

_Harry watched in horror as the curse hit the man who was hit squarely in the chest and launched him all the way to where Harry was kneeling. He looked down and saw that the man was only inches away from him, his cold dead eyes looking towards Harry's knees._

_Horrified, Harry watched as the man moved his head to stare at Harry with his empty eyes before speaking._

" _Why didn't you do more? Why didn't you save me?" He said in an empty, emotionless voice_

" _I- I- I-"_

" _You should have done more."_

It was always the same dream, and no matter how much he tried, he couldn't do anything to save him, and Harry always woke up before he could say anything to that man.

After that, he followed the same routine for the next five days. He would often wake up on Ron's bed, covered by a comfortable blanket over him, even though he always went to sleep on the floor. He didn't leave his room for the first two days after his visit to Sirius's house. He only got the occasional visit from Mrs Weasley where she made him take his potions and urged him to eat something. During those two days he didn't touch the food Mrs Weasley brought him, he just didn't feel hungry.

After the second day, he couldn't take his smell anymore and went out for a shower. After it, he felt a little bit refreshed and felt better. He wanted to go back to his room and hide there, but a small part of him told him that he couldn't just hide there forever, so he decided to finally step out of his room.

As soon as he stepped into the kitchen, where everyone except Mr Weasley and Percy was there having breakfast, Hermione spotted him and ran towards him, engulfing him in a bone crushing hug which he leaned in to. Mrs Weasley followed her and also gave him a hug.

He ended up having a small breakfast with the family, even though he didn't say a word through the whole ordeal. When Ron asked Mrs Weasley how Percy was, she told him that Mr Weasley was trying his best to get the aurors to drop the charges since he lost his wand, but he was still being detained. Harry was only half listening to the conversation, he was too busy playing with his food to pay attention to it.

After that, Ron and the twins had tried to get him to go outside and play quidditch or exploding snap, which he declined and told them to play on without him. Hermione had also tried to get him to study with her or to just be with her while she read her book, but he declined even her offers and went upstairs to Ron's room.

During the next three days he followed this routine, only coming out of Ron's room to shower and eat with them. He didn't notice how slowly he spent more time outside of his room, lingering slightly before and after breakfasts, lunches, and meals. He even allowed himself to give a small, barely noticeable, and somewhat fake chuckle at a couple of the twins jokes and had small conversations with Ron and Hermione. But in the end, he always retired back to the room to be alone, with only the man's screams to keep him company.

As the week progressed, Harry stopped feeling numb. He started feeling the pain of watching that man be killed right in front of him. The guilt of just watching without actually doing something to help. The anger at Malfoy, for humiliating him and killing that man for no reason other than being different. And the grief, for not even knowing the name of the man who died because of him.

All these emotions attacked him during the week and he tried dealing with them on his own, trying to confront them. But as much as he tried, he felt constantly defeated by them, making him feel extremely guilty and depressed for what happened at the riot after the World Cup.

Throughout the week, Harry did everything he could to push down those feelings and in the end, he felt himself growing better as the days went on, even if it was at an incredibly slow pace. As time went on, the screams grew slightly weaker, he allowed himself to smile more and his mind wasn't stuck in that moment anymore. At this point he was really missing how things were before, he wanted everything to suddenly go back to the way things were, but he knew that couldn't happen.

He would make sure to move on, to actually live instead of being the hollow version of himself that he had been for the past week. He owed that at least to his parents, he was sure they didn't die for him to waste his life away. He vowed to himself to continue his life, enjoying what he could in his next years at Hogwarts; while at the same time preparing himself for what he knew would come soon.

He was also now more determined to learn more about defending himself. He had been nothing against Malfoy, and if he couldn't even touch Malfoy, how could he hope to face Voldemort. He wanted to make him pay, for torturing him, for making him feel so useless, but most of all, for killing that man. He would make sure that Malfoy pays for what Lucius Malfoy did that night.

And while a part of him wanted to devote himself entirely to learning how to duel, how to survive, another part of him wouldn't let him. His parents sacrificed themselves so that he could live, not just survive, but live, learn, love, enjoy. He would make sure to honor their sacrifice. Besides, Remus was right, if he stopped living his life to prepare himself to fight and survive the coming battles, Voldemort would have already won.

At this point, all the feelings of grief, numbness, pain, guilt, and anger he tried to push down and ignore all throughout the past week turned into determination that Harry had never felt before.

He was brought out from his thoughts when he heard the door to Ron's room open. He looked up from his usual corner on the floor and saw his best friend enter the room with some snacks, a book, and a really concerned look on her face.

Harry noted how her expression shifted when she saw him sitting in the corner into one of pain, not for her, but for him. She tentatively made her way to the corner of the room where he was sitting, knelt down in front of him, and put the snacks beside him. She slowly closed the distance between them with her hand and cupped his face. He closed his eyes at her touch and leaned his head into her hand.

Harry felt tears start forming but he pushed them down. He didn't realize how much he wanted this, how much he needed this. For the first time in the whole week, he felt at peace, he felt safe, and all the feelings of guilt and grief left him for a second.

After a couple of moments, he felt Hermione's hand leave his face and he instantly missed the warm it brought him. Even though he hadn't opened his eyes, he sensed Hermione's face near his own and felt her lips on his forehead, her warm breath tickling him slightly, as they lingered on his skin for a couple of seconds. And once again, Harry felt her warmth flow through him only to be gone when she pulled back.

He opened his eyes and saw her beautiful chocolate orbs looking at him and was reminded of the night they saved Buckbeak and Sirius. He felt something inside him stir and he couldn't help his lips slightly curving up into a smile. She beamed at him, grabbed his hand, and squeezed it.

Hermione proceeded to sit down next to him, grab the book she had brought to the room, and leaned her head to rest on his shoulder while she read. She didn't say anything for there was nothing more to be said, her being there with him was everything he needed and he loved the feeling of her head on his shoulder.

Harry couldn't remember the last time he felt like this and couldn't help but look at Hermione fondly while she was reading her book. Driven by a foreign instinct, before he could talk himself out of it, he gave into this new desire, this new temptation and gave her a small kiss on the top of her head, relaxing as she sighed at the contact and gave him a small, shy smile burrowing into him as he placed his head on top of hers and put his arm around her shoulders.


	9. The Return To Hogwarts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta-Read By Aani and HHrPie

" _You should have done more."_

Harry awoke with a start, sitting up while panting loudly. It took a couple of moments for him to realize that it was just his usual nightmare. As much as he didn't like making Ron sleep on the couch, Harry was glad he decided to give him his room for the rest of the break, this way no one could see him in the aftermath of his nightmares. He looked at the clock on the nightstand and saw that it wasn't even six in the morning, but at this point, he knew better than to try to go back to sleep.

Harry quietly stepped out of Ron's room and headed to the bathroom where he washed his face and brushed his teeth. Today was finally the day he'd been waiting for, September first. He would finally go back to Hogwarts and go back to relative normality. At this point, he had grown extremely tired of how everyone had been treating him as if he was going to suddenly break and needed to be treated extremely delicately.

He had tried to go back to normality over the past few days, use all the rage and grief he felt and channel it to have to train, to actually have a life instead of being the mess he was for the first week after the world cup. But with all the Weasleys acting cautiously around him and Hermione never letting him leave her sight, he wasn't able to go back to his training routine.

He went back to his room, changed into his clothes for the day and since he packed everything last night, he decided to read the books he bought at Diagon Alley the previous day, at least this way he was technically training, even if it was only in theory.

_It took a lot of hours to convince Mrs Weasley that he was fine and could step out to make a trip to Diagon Alley, and finally managed it with the help of Ron and Hermione. He needed to go since he wanted to buy more books on Defense, Potions, Transfiguration, and Charms so that they could last the rest of the year. He had a plan to meet Remus and Sirius there to say goodbye to them before he went back to Hogwarts._

_As soon as they arrived at Diagon Alley they headed to purchase the dress robes first at Madam Malkins, he was glad he was able to go there instead of staying at the Burrow. Mrs Weasley had tried to convince him to buy a set of garish green dress robes that he could only describe as pompous and archaic, something he would expect Malfoy would wear instead of him. The mere thought of Malfoy made him angry and he immediately rejected the robes._

_He quickly opted for a pair of classy black robes in acromantula silk with a white shirt that looked like Muggle tuxedos, he had seen men often wearing in the movies and shows his aunt Petunia watched on the telly A small part of him was curious to see Hermione's reaction but he decided to wait until he could sport them for the mysterious grand occasion that was sure to take place at Hogwarts which required that he purchase these robes in the first place to show them to her, much to her chagrin._

_He was having fun with her, as she was annoyed and pouted and sulked but he quickly regretted teasing her when she decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. In the end, he was the one sulking at her in mock annoyance because she didn't let him see her dress. Even Ron and Ginny got a glimpse of her dress as she tried it on for Merlin's sake! He knew she did it just to annoy him, but he couldn't help but feel jealous because Ron saw her in that dress while he didn't._

_Ron, who had returned to teasing Harry about his crush on Hermione a couple of days before, had winked at him and whispered "Pity you missed out on that mate, she looked incredible."_

_That comment had only caused Harry's jealousy to increase and anger to rise. Ron noticed his reaction immediately and backed off after that. He had immediately put his hands up in a gesture of surrender before quietly reassuring him that he was only teasing Harry. That managed to calm Harry down, much to Ron's relief, even though it was only slightly._

_After that, Harry had needed to find a way to escape his two friends to meet up with his godfather and honorary uncle. He smirked inwardly when he suggested going to Flourish and Blotts and got the reactions he expected. Ron immediately opted out and went with Fred and George and Hermione grabbed his arm pulling him to the bookstore. It took less than thirty seconds before he managed to shake Hermione off and left the store._

_He met Moony who looked a lot like what he would imagine a thin version of his uncle would look like at the Leaky Cauldron and was apparated once again to Sirius's home. Once there Moony had pointed his wand at himself and his features slowly changed back to Moony. They had pizza again and spent time talking, completely ignoring the events of the World Cup. Unfortunately for Harry, he lost track of time and left quickly with Moony putting the disguise back on, who gave him a giant list of books he recommended for the four subjects Harry had asked him._

_As soon as he got back, he saw the Weasleys were looking for him everywhere but they hadn't managed to spot him. Deciding not to risk being taken away from Diagon Alley as soon as he was found, he quickly and stealthily made his way to Flourish and Blotts, barely managing to avoid the redheads, and bought the twenty books Remus had listed for him and the other ten that were part of the school curriculum. While he thought it was somewhat excessive, he knew this was the last time he would be purchasing books before the next summer break._

_As he made his way out of the bookshop he was ambushed by a brown, bushy haired missile that hugged him so tightly, he dropped his numerous bags of books. For a moment he was glad that Hermione was relieved instead of mad when he heard her saying how happy she was that he was okay, before her demeanour changed completely, as she started scolding him about being a careless idiot._

_He tried convincing her that he was inside Flourish and Blotts all this time, but she wasn't convinced that he spent those two hours there, especially after she checked the whole store for him before leaving to try to find him elsewhere._

_After that, things didn't go well for Harry._

_He managed to convince Mrs Wealey to let him have a bit more time to purchase the rest of his school supplies, before they flooed back to the Burrow. Once they were at the Burrow, he immediately tried to make a run for his room but was stopped by Mrs Weasley._

_Harry had to sit in the living room for half an hour while Mrs Weasley berated him for being so careless to leave Diagon Alley alone without telling anyone. He had tried to tell her that he never left Diagon Alley but she obviously didn't buy it and Harry didn't manage to give her a proper answer of where he was._

_He was thankfully saved when Mr Weasley took Mrs Weasley away from the living room to calm her down, saying Harry probably needed space. She reluctantly went with him and Harry thought he was in the clear, but boy was he wrong. Because then Hermione berated him for over an hour about being an idiot, worrying her, leaving her, and so much more that Harry just didn't manage to comprehend since she was going at an incredible speed, talking faster than Harry could form thoughts._

_After Harry could only stutter incomprehensible answers to her questions, she glared at him and went to her room. Harry swore he heard her mumble about "stupid prats" and how they never learn. It took until after dinner for Hermione to stop being angry at him. Granted, she didn't say so, but she did the same thing she had done for the past week. She entered Ron's room after everyone went to bed, and started reading her book while leaning her head on Harry's shoulder. He thought this was as good a sign as any,] and was relieved when she didn't pull away when he kissed the top of her head and draped his arm over her shoulders._

Harry stopped thinking about the previous day and opened the fifth year DADA textbook since he had already read the one that was recommended for the fourth year. He didn't know how long he was reading before he felt the mirror, which was now a permanent fixture inside the pocket of his jeans, started warming up. He moved aside the book and answered the call. He saw a cheery Remus already dressed for the day, sitting in the kitchen.

"Hello Harry!" Remus greeted pleasantly.

"Hey Moony! Where's Padfoot?" He responded and motioned to his godfather.

"Well, you know the old mutt. He isn't a morning person. He told me that he would call you later at night."

Harry gave a small chuckle at the antics of his godfather.

"Did you manage to get the books I recommended?"

"Yup, all of them."

Remus looked shocked at this.

"You know Harry, when I gave you that list I thought you were going to pick a few. I didn't think you'd actually buy all of them."

Harry's expression immediately turned sombre at this.

"Well Moony, I think that it's pretty clear that I need to train more. Especially after what happened."

"Harry…" Remus began. "I know what happened at the World Cup affected you and you want to train m-"

"Of course it affected me, Remus! How could it not! Malfoy wiped the floor with me! He humiliated me! The only reason why I'm alive is luck! I was so useless I couldn't even sa-" Harry stopped himself before he could finish the words he had been afraid to verbalize.

"I know, Harry. Trust me, I understand. But it's just like you told me at Hogwarts, 'you still deserve to have a life'. I'm not saying you shouldn't train, on the contrary, I want you to do so, but I don't want it to be the only thing you do. Have you even told Hermione about it?"

"Of course not, Remus! She would waste so much of her time trying to help me that she wouldn't do much apart from that and school work."

"Have you told her about your Voldemort dream?"

"Well…"

"So you've lied to her. Or maybe you just told her a version of the truth."

"I told her what she needed to hear. She already knows too much and she's getting too close." Harry responded in a tone of finality.

Remus's expression was one of disappointment.

"You know, the sad thing is that you actually see that as a bad thing. I think things didn't go exactly as you planned. You didn't consider people being concerned about you. Questioning you. Doubting you. Asking questions about what you do every time you disappear. You didn't think about what happens when you lie, especially to the ones closest to you. When you were at the Dursleys, concocting your grand plan about training to have a chance against Voldemort. I don't think you even thought how it would affect the people in your life. Or how it might hurt them."

"You're wrong. I think about it all the time. I just don't want to cost them their normal teenage life, I'd rather have them be mad at me and even have them stop talking to me if that is what it takes for them to have a normal life. They deserve better than me."

"You underestimate your friends, Harry. I saw you how close you three are last year, even when you weren't talking, I saw you still cared about each other. I also saw them during our little meeting at the Shack at the end of the year. They would rather follow you and die with you rather than leave you to die alone."

"Why do you think I don't want them to know?." Harry's tone was full of the anger he had tried to push down all week.

"They deserve to know, Harry. To get the choice. If you die, they wo-"

"NO! THIS IS MY FIGHT! NO ONE ELSE SHOULD HAVE TO LIVE LIKE THIS! NO ONE ELSE SHOULD HAVE TO BE FORCED INTO THIS SITUATION! AND I WON'T LET THEM BE! NOT ON MY WATCH!"

Harry bellowed at the mirror, letting out a small piece of his anger while holding back the tears of rage that had been forming in his eyes. He felt relieved for a second, finally letting his anger out but immediately felt guilty at Lupin's shocked expression. He composed himself before he continued.

"I can't lose them, Remus. Not them. Not if I can help it." Harry replied in barely a whisper

"And why do you think they can lose you, Harry?"

The silence that followed was excruciating. Harry wanted to reply that he knew they could, that he was the one making the sacrifice and he was glad he was. But he didn't. He knew he would rather die than lose his friends, so if he happened to die along the way before Ron and Hermione did, he was glad for it. A part of himself knew he was perhaps wrong, but he didn't care. He couldn't lose them.

"They care about you just as you care about them, Harry. And so do we. Don't you dare think that if you died we would be fine. You need them, Harry. Whether you want to or not. You won't survive this alone."

Harry didn't comment. He knew Remus was right but he didn't want to ask Ron and Hermione to throw everything away and help him. He knew that both of them would gladly follow him but he didn't want to be the cause of their deaths. He would tell them later, they deserve a chance at a normal life.

"I'll give you some time to think, Harry. But you should really tell them everything. They deserve to know and to have that choice."

Harry just gave a sigh as acknowledgement to his point.

"You should probably go now, Harry. The Express leaves in two hours. We'll call you after the feast."

And with that Remus hung up and left Harry staring at the mirror.

He hated lying to his friends and he hated that Remus was right. But at the same time he wanted - he _**needed**_ \- to protect his friends. He wasn't going to ruin their lives but he hadn't felt this alone since before Hogwarts. He hated feeling this weak and powerless, this useless. He couldn't even decide if he should tell his friends and he was supposed to prepare to fight against Voldemort.

Harry wanted to thrash the room, find a way to vent his anger that he felt had been building for the past few weeks, to release it, but he decided against it. He did what he had done for the past week. He took deep breaths and counted to hundred mentally until he felt his rage settling down. He pushed it down to the back of his mind. He ignored it. Forgot about it.

It took a really long time before he calmed down and a few moments after he did he heard a knock on the door.

"Harry, dear. We'll be leaving in an hour and a half. Are you ready?"

Harry paused and tried to count to ten to calm himself even further but he stopped at two when he realized it would be weird not to answer Mrs Weasley for such a long time.

"Yes Mrs Weasley. Everything's ready."

"Excellent dear. I'm going to make breakfast. Why don't you come downstairs and wait with Hermione."

"I'll be right there, Mrs Weasley."

He packed the few things that were left in the room before heading downstairs with his trunk and sat next to Hermione. He pulled out the book he was reading from his carry on bag and fell into a comfortable silence with Hermione.

* * *

Hermione Granger hadn't enjoyed the last few days of her break. After Harry was brought back to the Burrow, Mr Weasley had told her and Ron to leave Harry alone, saying that he needed time to process his trauma. She had thought it was painful watching Harry when he woke up, he looked so broken, his usual goofy charm was missing and it hurt her to see Harry reduced to this state.

She wished she could do something to alleviate his pain, but she did as Mr Weasley asked and had given Harry space. She was having trouble sleeping and everytime she closed her eyes she could see Harry's broken, bruised, battered, bloodied….

No. She couldn't think about that, she wouldn't!

After a few days Harry had finally left his room and as soon as he did, she gave him the biggest _Hermione Hug_ , as her parents called it, that she had ever given anyone. She was so relieved to see him, she wanted to hold him in her arms and never let go while assuring him that she wouldn't ever leave him again. But she finally had to let go after quite some time.

The days after that she saw her best friend slowly returning. Far too slow for her, but she saw him return in flashes. It wasn't until after a week since the World Cup that she went to his room when everyone was sleeping and curled up next to him. She leaned her head on his shoulder and was extremely surprised when he kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arm around her. She only just managed to stop a small purr from leaving her lips when he did so, only just though.

It wasn't until after that night that she saw his mood improve by a relatively large margin. So she went to him every night, and every night she leaned her head on his shoulder just before he kissed the top of her head or her temple before wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She enjoyed it so much that she didn't care that she didn't read anything during those hours of comfortable silence they spent like that. She still brought a book every night but hadn't even opened it the past few nights.

As the days passed she saw him slowly go back to normal and was happy when she finally saw her goofy best friend again. He seemed fine and she was happy about it… until last night. After she had left Harry's room and gone to the one she shared with Ginny she couldn't help but to actively analyze the events of the past few days.

She was so happy to get her best friend back that she hadn't paid much attention to it, but there were instances where she could remember Harry acting oddly. The most prominent example being his disappearance earlier that day. She had no idea why he would leave them like that for almost two hours. She had come to terms that Harry had secrets, but they only increased when she saw him again after the summer.

She tried accepting that. It was fine, Harry didn't have to tell her everything. It's not like she owned him or anything. They weren't even dating, even though Hermione hoped they would soon, so she had no right to go about prying in his life, right?

She tried convincing herself of that, but she couldn't. She was always too curious for her own good, a lot of people considered her nosy and bossy. She just couldn't help it, but after what happened last year with the Firebolt she tried to ignore that voice in her head telling her to pry, to find out what was bothering Harry.

She knew something was bothering him. After being best friends with Harry for the past three years she had learned how to read him pretty well. But while it was obvious something was bothering him, she wasn't sure exactly what it was.

She wanted to help him but she knew that the stupid prat was not only stupid, but also noble. That gallantry of his, caused him to shy away from asking for help, especially when he had real problems worrying him, not just something simple like having trouble with homework.

So, there she sat thinking about Harry while she was by his side while he was reading a book in their compartment of the Hogwarts Express with Ron sitting across from them. At this point she shouldn't be surprised he was reading a book, he had done that all summer, she really should have gotten used to it by now. But she hadn't, and as much as she loved that he was reading more, she was sure this had something to do with what was bothering him.

While she sat there, pondering about the enigma that Harry Potter had become, she decided that she didn't care if Harry got mad at her about it. She was going to find out what was bothering him.

She leaned into his side and he reflexively put an arm around her. They had gotten to the Express just in the nick of time. As much as she loved the Weasley family, she hated their impunctuality. She had to wait for over an hour before they were all ready just in time. Mr and Mrs Weasley escorted them to the train only a couple minutes before it was about to leave.

Luckily, they had found an empty compartment and had been enjoying their time there for a couple of hours. She felt like it was a nice change of pace, especially compared to the previous year when the dementors entered the train.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that they were interrupted by a sudden flash of fire. Hermione shielded herself by unconsciously pulling Harry in front of her and hid behind him.

As soon as the bright spark disappeared she saw a majestic looking red feathered bird.

A phoenix.

She looked at Harry and saw him giving her a knowing grin.

"What a Gryffindor you turned out to be, using me as a human shield."

"Prat." Hermione hit him lightly on the shoulder before turning her attention to the phoenix.

She had never seen it, but she knew it was Dumbledore's. After Harry told her about his adventure in the chamber he told her about how Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix, had saved his life by curing him of the basilisk venom.

Hermione thought the phoenix was gorgeous, it had an air of elegance and warmth. She was too busy admiring the bird that she didn't notice the letter he was carrying until Harry took it from him.

Harry grabbed it and opened it. He didn't spend much time reading it but he had an expression that was between sombre and annoyed, something she had never thought she would see.

"What is it Harry?"

Harry was too busy looking at the letter that he answered her absentmindedly.

"Just Dumbledore, he probably wants to see me because of my Voldemort nightmares and the thing with my sc-."

As soon as he realized what he had said he stopped himself from speaking and immediately tried changing the topic.

"So what did you think about the cannons, Ron?" He said while turning his full attention to the redhead

Hermione was surprised when Ron didn't answer him. Clearly, he had paid attention to what Harry said a moment before and was still trying to process it. Hermione on the other hand had already processed what he meant and wasn't going to let him change the topic.

"Oh no you don't, Harry James Potter! You don't get to change the topic that easily!" Hermione said in her annoyed and bossy voice before continuing with a tone of concern while keeping the bossiness. "What's wrong with your scar?"

"I… er… umm…"

Hermione knew that she wouldn't get anything out of him and took advantage of the moment, she leapt forward and snatched the letter from him. Harry tried to reach her to take it back but was blocked by Ron. She was stunned by this and froze for a second.

"Give it back!"

"Come on, Hermione! I can't hold him off all day!"

Hermione snapped back to reality in that moment and saw the letter.

_Dear Harry,_

_I was hoping to speak to you in person before the feast begins. Would you mind meeting me in the chamber behind the staff table at the Great Hall?._

_Albus Dumbledore_

There was nothing useful in the letter, but that wasn't going to stop her. She was going to make Harry tell her what was bothering him, even if she risked their friendship while doing so.

"What does Dumbledore want to talk to you about? What's wrong with your scar?"

Harry shrunk at her glare and took a few steps back.

"It's nothing Hermione, just leave it."

"Harry James Potter! You will tell us what is wrong with you or I swear to Merlin, I will make sure you go to the infirmary before you even reach the Great Hall!"

"It's nothing Hermione." He took another step back when Hermione took a step forward. "Really. Just my scar hurting a little bit after a nightmare. It's nothing really."

Hermione didn't know how to feel. She was angry at Harry for not telling her and Ron about the nightmare and his scar burning. She was concerned about her best friend and how he was doing. She was sad that he didn't trust her with this. So, she opted to go with what she thought would make Harry talk.

She glared at Harry and saw from the corner of her eye how Ron immediately leaped to the other corner of the compartment while Harry squirmed a little bit under her glare.

"Why didn't you tell us about this! After all we've been through together I thought at least you trusted us!"

"I do trust y-"

"Oh, really! Well, it doesn't seem like that at all! You've been keeping secrets ever since the start of the summer! You disappear without telling us where you're going! You wake up early every day and try to do Merlin knows what outside! Hell, you don't even tell us what books you're reading!" She took a few moments to calm down before she continued in a dejected voice, betraying how hurt she felt.

"I thought you trusted us, Harry. We're supposed to be your friends and you don't even tell us anything anymore. I'm so sick and tired of watching you push us away only to come back like nothing's wrong."

She walked towards him and grabbed his hand.

"Please, Harry. You don't have to do this alone. Please… tell us."

Harry took a deep breath and gave an equally big sigh, he sat down but didn't let go of her hand. After a couple of moments she sat down facing him and wrapped her arms around his arm.

It was a couple of moments of silence before he spoke again while facing the ground.

"Earlier in the summer I had a nightmare… it wasn't just a nightmare. It was more like a vision. Anyways, in this vision Voldemort was talking to Pettigrew. And they were talking about… well… me."

Harry turned to look directly at her eyes.

"Voldemort, he's planning something. I don't know what… they didn't talk about it that much. But he said he had a way to come back and that when he does…"

He stopped and looked away, anywhere but at her and Ron, who was patiently listening quietly.

"What Harry?" Hermione asked, her voice full of concern.

"He's coming for me. He wants to kill me, but only after he tortures me. He said he wanted me to suffer like he did before he finally kills me." He replied in a voice that was barely a whisper.

At this, Hermione couldn't take it anymore and leapt to Harry, where she hugged him fiercely, as if she could protect him from the world, from Voldemort but Harry felt her fear, her panic, her concern - all of it for him in the desperate way she hugged him as if she'd never let him go. Harry returned the hug and did his best to soothe her, but nothing worked.

After all he'd been through, everything he had suffered; Losing his parents, the Dursleys, the confrontation against Quirrel, the school shunning him for 'being' the Heir of Slytherin, the fight against the basilisk, the dementors, and more things she couldn't remember. It wasn't fair that this wonderful, caring, kind, brave person had to suffer so much.

Harry continued while she was in his embrace.

"That's why I've been reading all summer. I've been training, trying to learn as much as possible so that when Voldemort comes back, I'm ready for him."

There was a moment of silence before Ron spoke.

"Blimey Harry. I… I…."

"I know."

It was nearly ten minutes before Hermione calmed herself and, reluctantly, parted from the embrace.

"Why didn't you tell me? I would have helped you!"

"That's exactly why I didn't tell you. I didn't want to worry you, it was better for me just to deal with it on my own."

"Don't you dare, Harry James! Don't you dare push us away because of this! We're not leaving you!"

Harry gave her a small appreciative smile before she once again grabbed his arm and leaned into his shoulder. Hermione didn't know how much time they spent there in comfortable silence before Ron spoke up.

"But… that still doesn' explain why you disappeared the other day at Diagon Alley."

Hermione turned to look at Harry expectantly and saw him give another big sigh.

"I just went to see Remus and Sirius."

"What!?" Both Ron and Hermione exclaimed at the same time.

"I've been in contact with them all throughout the summer and have visited them a couple of times since my birthday. They already know and helped me out with the books for me to learn DADA and other subjects that will help. Remus actually implored me to tell you all of this just this morning."

"But how? There wasn't any mail today?" Hermione asked.

"With this." Harry said and pulled out a mirror from his pocket. "This is a mirror that allows me to communicate with them instantly. Like telephones. I just say their name and their mirror warms up, alerting them they're receiving a call. That's how I've been communicating with them at the Burrow. It was my father's, they used them to talk during their detentions at Hogwarts"

"Wicked!" Ron exclaimed

Hermione looked at the mirror with awe and interest. She looked up and saw that Harry was giving her a knowing smile before he gave it to her to analyze. She thought this was some extremely advanced magic, like the Marauder's Map and wanted to research how they did it. She was hoping Harry would allow her to borrow it later.

After giving the mirror back to Harry and returning to her book while leaning against Harry, they spent another hour in silence before three people opened the door to their compartment and stood at the entrance, blocking the way out.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here, boys. A blood traitor, a filthy mudblood, and the great Harry Potter." Malfoy drawled

Hermione immediately turned to look back at Harry and saw that he hadn't taken his eyes off the book, but his face was filled with rage.

"What's wrong, Potter? Finally learned your place beneath your betters?"

Harry's face contorted into an even angrier one than before but didn't respond.

"Father will be happy. It looks like his handy work did pay off."

Hermione gasped and Malfoy turned to look at her casually flicking off some non-existent lint off his robes, as his fingers brushed his shoulder and lazily drawled out.

"Yes mudblood, my father was the one that killed that filthy muggle and then tortured scarhead here. Not that it can be proven, of course. Even with the great Potter's testimony my father has already taken care of it. That's the perk of being a Malfoy. It's only a shame he couldn't do the same to you, mudblood."

Hermione was pulled back to the memory of what Malfoy told her the night of the riot and was extremely glad she didn't ask her parents to go to the World Cup with her, she couldn't imagine her parents in the place of the other muggles, tortured and treated like dirt.

Hermione turned to look back at Harry and saw how his expression shifted into an impassive one. The anger wasn't on his face anymore, but it was clear in his eyes. They were full of cold, calculated, fury. Hermione couldn't help but feel afraid of Harry at the moment. She knew he would never hurt her, she just knew him that well. But that expression, she had never seen one like that one and she couldn't help but feel shivers down her spine while looking at it.

Malfoy, oblivious to the change in Harry, leaned against the doorframe and continued in the same haughty demeanour, his silver eyes glinting with amusement and pride,

"Father couldn't stop talking about it. How he killed the filthy trash and you, the _great_ Harry Potter told him he would pay. He easily stopped all your pathetic attempts at dueling and had a lot of fun while torturing you, breaking your bones. His only regret was that he didn't finish the job."

This was it, Harry finally spoke. His voice was cold as ice but filled with a rage Hermione had never heard before from anyone.

"This is the point where you walk away, Malfoy."

Malfoy laughed and his two other apes joined him.

"You think you scare us, Potter? After how my father humiliated you and tortured you. It was extremely fun watching in the Pensieve at the manor. You squirming around the floor, screaming in agony. I'm even more afraid of your mudblood whore than I am of you and th-"

Malfoy was cut off when suddenly Harry leapt off his seat, grabbed his wand, and at a speed Hermione had never seen before, Harry cast two _Expeliarmus_ at Crabbe and Goyle respectively. The spells must have been incredibly powerful since the two boys were propelled from their feet and crashed back against the wall from behind.

But before Crabbe and Goyle even hit the ground, Harry grabbed Malfoy by the robes and pointed his wand under his throat. Harry spoke slowly in a low, cold, and menacing tone,

"I was so naive. I used to have so much mercy. You get one warning, Malfoy. This was it. Next time, I won't be so kind." The most unsettling thing to Hermione was how Harry never raised his voice.

He cast another powerful _Expelliarmus_ right in Malfoy's chin which propelled the boy back incredibly harshly and joined his two friends on the floor. The other two boys carried his passed out body away from there before Harry closed the compartment door.

Harry turned back to look at her and Ron who were watching in disbelief. His emerald orbs were light with cold fury. They had never seen this version of Harry. They'd seen him angry before, furious even when they first encountered Sirius. But this was different. This was pure, unadulterated, hatred and rage. She didn't know how to describe it, she had never seen anything like it.

Trusting Harry wasn't going to lash out at her, she gingerly made her way across the compartment to where he was standing, took his hand, gave it a small squeeze, before turning to look directly at his eyes.

She was astounded at how she watched Harry's eyes soften slowly while looking at her until they were finally back to normal and he gave her a small smile. She couldn't help but shiver pleasantly at how she had the power to calm Harry down with nothing more than her mere touch, her presence. She gave him a small smile and they both sat down and the rest of the trip went by as if nothing had happened, leaving a stunned Ron watching the two of them without moving.

* * *

They met Neville, Lavender and Parvati when they were looking for a carriage at the station. The six went in together and Harry was bombarded by questions about the rumours of his fight with Malfoy. He just told them they had a small altercation like they always do, and they didn't ask anything else, even though it was clear that they didn't believe him.

The six entered the Great Hall and all of them took their places before Harry remembered he had to go and see Dumbledore. He told the group he'd be back soon, left the table, and headed through the mostly empty Great Hall towards the chamber behind the staff table, where he saw a man with a crazy eyeball looking at him directly while he took a sip from his flask. He had never seen the man before and assumed he would be the new DADA professor.

He was about to reach the door to the chamber but was stopped by Professor Flitwick asking him where he was going before Harry explained about his meeting with Dumbledore. After showing him the letter, he let him pass and Harry entered the room. He saw Dumbledore pacing slowly in front of a fireplace before turning his attention towards Harry.

"Harry! It's good to see you!" Dumbledore said with his grandfatherly voice he was used to.

"It's good to see you too, Professor Dumbledore." Harry responded politely.

Dumbledore moved towards Harry and conjured two chairs before the both of them sat. Harry thought this was going to be a long talk and didn't know how he felt about it. He just wanted to go back to his friends and see the sorting.

"Before we get started, Harry. I've heard some rumours that you had a small altercation with Mr Malfoy during your ride."

"I see rumours still travel incredibly fast here, Professor."

"Indeed they do, Harry. Would you mind explaining what happened?"

"I just had a small chat with Draco, letting him know how things are going to work from now on."

Dumbledore looked at him with a twinkle in his eyes.

"And I'm sure you didn't resort to more than words to make your point, Harry."

"Well… I can neither confirm nor deny that, sir."

Dumbledore gave a small chuckle at this.

"You're probably tired of hearing this Harry. But you're so much like your parents. Even if you are more like Lily in some aspects, it's nice to see your inner James come out every once in a while."

Harry just gaped at the Headmaster.

"You knew about the Marauders?"

Dumbledore just gave him a small smile before ignoring him.

"Have you had any more dreams about Voldemort, Harry?"

"No. Well, not exactly. I've had my fair share of dreams about him but they were different. They weren't like the vision I had a month ago."

"You're having nightmares about him, Harry?"

"Yes… but I'm sure it's nothing, Professor. Just small nightmares."

Dumbledore looked at him with an unreadable expression for a moment before finally speaking.

"Sirius has told me about the contents of this dream in detail… and your plans for training." Harry couldn't believe Sirius went blabbing about Harry's personal business like that, and Dumbledore must have noticed because he continued. "You shouldn't hold a grudge against him, Harry. He's only looking out for your best interests."

Harry only mumbled about snitching mutts before he sighed and spoke to Dumbledore.

"So what do you think? About my plans for training? Ever since you told me Voldemort would come for me I decided on preparing for that inevitable moment."

"I think it's a great idea, Harry! I know I probably should have trained you, but I wanted you to still enjoy your teenage years. But with everything happening that points to Tom returning sooner than we would have hoped and his promise about targeting you, I think it's for the best. I know you have been doing it on your own for the past two months and I've seen your progress. I think I will let you continue learning the basics on your own and when you're done with them, maybe I can teach you advanced material that isn't taught at Hogwarts."

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing, Dumbledore offering to train him.

"I'd love that sir! Thank you!"

"It's really nothing, Harry. It's something we should do to prepare for the coming conflict. I feel that if you apply yourself, you can finish the topic taught at Hogwarts by the end of the fifth year and we can start your training at the beginning of your sixth year."

Harry's expression dropped at this, it was still too long.

"I know what you're thinking Harry, but it's for the best. You'd still be incredibly advanced from your peers. It's better not to rush your learning and make sure you completely grasp the basic concepts. But that doesn't mean I can't start a different training with you right now."

Harry's face brightened at this.

"You mean you can start teaching me right now!"

Dumbledore chuckled at him.

"Well, not at this moment since we both need to return to the feast but certainly soon. This training is completely different from your training, but it will help you. Now, do you remember how I told you Voldemort transferred some of his powers to you the night he tried to kill you?"

Harry nodded and Dumbledore continued.

"I believe that by doing this Voldemort created a connection between you and him and this is the cause of your visions. I believe that what I will teach you should help with the visions, but it will help you gain more control of your emotions. It will allow you to become more focused so that you aren't distracted as easily, and it will help you process knowledge better."

"Ummm, Professor. What exactly do you mean with a connection?"

Dumbledore must have noticed the concern in his voice because he answered with a soft voice.

"I think that you and Tom are mentally linked. When he is feeling an extremely powerful emotion you should be able to see into his mind. That's what those visions are."

"So… does that mean that Voldemort can also see into my mind?"

"I'm afraid it does, Harry. I don't think he can right now given his state. But once he returns to full power he will be able to. That's why I'll be tutoring you in occlumency."

"What's occlumency, sir?" Harry asked eagerly, having no idea about this new branch of magic. He thought Hermione would know what it was for sure.

"We can talk about that later, but I won't teach you unless you follow two conditions placed by, Sirius, Remus, and I to ensure your health."

Harry groaned at this.

"Let me guess, they want me to tell Ron and Hermione about my training and this?"

"Not just about your training, but everything. They are your friends, Harry. The worst thing you can do is push them away, that will only hurt both you and them."

"I know, I know. Remus and I talked about that today and I already told them everything."

"Excellent Harry! I'm really proud of you for doing that! It's good to see that you aren't going to try and face this alone."

Dumbledore continued after Harry's lack of response.

"The second condition is that you don't overwork yourself. I'm sure you saw how overworked Ms Granger was last year and I believe you would agree that it isn't something you thought was healthy."

Harry only nodded at this and Dumbledore continued.

"If I see that you're beginning to overwork yourself similar to Ms Granger, I will pause our small sessions until you stop doing so. While training should be something you focus on, you're still a teenager. You deserve to have your moments of relaxation to spend time with your friends in the common room or even…" Dumbledore gave him a mischievous smirk, something Harry couldn't believe he was seeing from Dumbledore, and his eyes twinkled once again. "Go out with Ms Granger during your Hogsmeade weekends."

Harry flushed instantly and looked at his shoes.

"I'm going to kill Sirius" He mumbled to himself and Dumbledore started chuckling.

"Yes, Sirius does speak too much for his own good. But he's not the only one. If I recall correctly there is a betting pool going on about when you two will get together."

Harry looked up at Dumbledore's twinkling eyes, his own eyes wide with horror and mortification at the thought of his private life being a source of gambling and gossip.

He finally couldn't hold back himself any longer and uttered,

"You know a lot of rumours, Headmaster."

Dumbledore gave a small chuckle. "Well, I have been called a gossip every once in a while."

"I can't imagine why." Harry replied dryly.

Dumbledore smiled at him before continuing.

"So, Harry. Do we have an agreement?"

"Yes, Professor."

Harry waited for a moment before asking something he had been wondering for the past week.

"Sir,"

"Harry,"

"I know you told me not to overwork myself."

"I didn't think you would break our rules this early in the year, Harry"

"It's not that. It's just that… well. I wanted to switch Divination for Ancient Runes since I loved the subject while I studied it with Hermione during this summer."

Dumbledore gave him a knowing look with those damn twinkling eyes which made Harry flush, but he continued nonetheless.

"But it is a very complex subject with a lot of homework that will undoubtedly take a lot of time. So I was wondering if maybe you could ask for a time turner like you did with Hermione last year. That way I could go into Runes and still have time to train and enjoy myself."

Dumbledore looked pensieve for a moment before giving Harry a small, apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry Harry but I don't think that will be possible."

"But… but why? Hermione had one last year, why can't I?"

"Well, apparently someone tipped off the ministry that Sirius Black managed to escape with the help of a time turner the previous spring. This has made the ministry extremely hesitant to give out time turners, especially again at Hogwarts. They actually asked for the one Ms Granger used the past year before I could let them know that she didn't need it anymore. The Department of Mysteries is no longer giving them out and they were going to take it away even if Ms Granger chose to keep her previous schedule."

Dumbledore gave a small sigh before continuing.

"Besides, the Minister right now isn't on the best terms with either me or you."

"What! Why!" Harry cried out indignantly.

"Well, after you gave your testimony where you accused Lucius Malfoy as the person who attacked you during the Quidditch World Cup, he did everything to push it under the rug. Since Lucius is an old family friend and supporter of Cornelius, he saw it as a personal attack against him. He was going to use his contacts at the Prophet to attack you but I managed to stop him by using a few favours of my own. That has made Cornelius extremely mad at me as well."

"But I told the truth! Malfoy was the one who attacked me!"

"I know, Harry. I told you before that I have seen your training in action, that's because I used a few favours at the Ministry and saw your testimony. I'm sure that was Lucius Malfoy and tried to convince Cornelius of it, but he wouldn't budge. Whether it was for loyalty to his friend or because he owed him a favour or because his fear blinded him I don't know. But Cornelius is out for blood and will attack with full force if either of us makes even a small mistake."

Harry just gave a sad sigh at this. He had accepted how prejudiced the wizarding world truly was when they didn't even know the name of the man Malfoy killed. But to see it actually be this corrupt that even after a memory testimony there wasn't even an inquiry against Malfoy completely shattered his view of the wizarding world.

He didn't want to admit it to himself but all of his hopes of taking Runes with Hermione just shattered. He knew that training for Voldemort was the most important thing right now, especially if he wanted to be trained by Dumbledore personally. And with the Occlumency lessons the Headmaster promised he simply didn't have enough time. As much as he loved Runes, he would have to give it up. _Another thing to hate Voldemort for, I guess._

"Sir… you said you watched my testimony."

"I did say that, Harry."

Harry was embarrassed that Dumbledore watched him be so humiliated by Malfoy that he avoided the Headmaster's eyes

"Harry, you shouldn't be ashamed of yourself."

Dumbledore spoke softly and that caused Harry to break down.

"Why shouldn't I! I couldn't even land a spell on Malfoy! He humiliated me! I couldn't even save that man, all I did was watch as Malfoy killed him!"

"Harry please seat down."

He didn't realize that he had stood up until Dumbledore pointed it out. He quickly took his seat and flushed in embarrassment of snapping at the Headmaster.

"Harry, I need you to understand something. That man's death wasn't your fault. You didn't know what Malfoy was going to do to him and even if you did there was nothing you could have done, there is no way to block the killing curse."

"But if I hadn't been there th-"

"Harry, if you hadn't been there, Malfoy would have just continued to torture him more before killing him. There wasn't anything you could have done. It wasn't your fault."

He gave Dumbledore a reluctant nod.

"Now, I also want you to understand that what you did was incredible for someone your age. At fourteen, you stood up against a death eater. And not just any death eater, but Voldemort's right hand man who has a lot of experience in dueling. You managed to flawlessly cast spells that even some sixth years have trouble with. What you did was nothing short of remarkable and it shows how your training has paid off. You have to believe that, Harry. If you don't even believe your training has made you improve then you won't be able to actually improve."

Harry flushed at Dumbledore's praise but once again gave a reluctant nod. While he made some good points, he still felt pathetic by being humiliated that way by Malfoy.

"I understand, Professor."

"Good. You have improved a lot this summer and I know you'll continue to improve a lot during this year. Now, that's all for today. The sorting should be close to being finished by now, let's go ahead to the Great Hall."

Dumbledore and Harry stood up and walked in silence, but that silence was broken by Dumbledore when they reached the door to the Great Hall.

"Harry."

"Yes Professor?"

"I did put a couple of galleons on the betting pool for November this year, I hope you don't disappoint." Dumbledore said with that damn smirk and his twinkling eyes.

Dumbledore opened the door and stepped into the Great Hall before Harry could grumble a response. When he stepped inside the Hall he saw the last first year being sorted as soon as they arrived. Harry couldn't help but marvel at Dumbledore's impressive timing while he walked towards the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Hermione.

"What did Dumbledore say?" Hermione asked eagerly.

"Later." Harry said and he was glad when Hermione read his expression and came to the same conclusion as him.

The six had a pleasant dinner where they talked about their summers. Thankfully the topic of the Quidditch World Cup was avoided and he couldn't help but think he had his bushy haired best friend to thank for that.

As soon as everyone finished eating, Dumbledore stood up and headed towards the podium.

"Welcome, new students and welcome back returning students. This should be an extremely interesting year at Hogwarts but before we get to that, I have to do the usual boring reminders."

Everyone in the Great Hall laughed at the Headmaster's joke while Professor McGonagall glared at him, which only made Harry laugh even more.

"I'd like to remind all the students that the Forbidden Forest is called that for a reason, some more than others should remember that." He finished and looked directly at the Weasley twins who just grinned at Dumbledore. "Mr Filch has also reminded me to remind you that magic in the corridors is forbidden and that there's a list of four hundred and thirty seven banned items which is available at his office."

"Now, allow me to introduce my good friend Alastor Moody." The Hall turned into murmurs and whispers.

"Alastor Moody?"

"The Auror?"

"The Dark Wizard Catcher?"

"Wasn't he dead?"

"Isn't he insane?"

"He has agreed as a personal favor to me to take over the role of professor for Defense Against The Dark Arts. Everyone, please give a warm welcome to Professor Moody."

There was polite applause that wasn't exuberant or welcoming but thankfully Harry noted that Moody didn't seem to mind.

Dumbledore's lips twitched a little upwards before he continued.

"It is also my deepest regret to inform you that the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup is canceled this year,"

The Great Hall exploded into boos, people complaining, and yelling at Professor Dumbledore about how unfair everything was. Even the Weasley twins and Ron joined in, yelling "Rubbish!"

But Harry saw Dumbledore's expression turned into one of even more amusement.

Harry turned to look at Hermione and she was smirking.

"What are you smirking at?" Harry asked while he poked her shoulder causing her to giggle a little before removing his hand.

"Well… maybe now you and Ron can actually pay attention in class instead of just breathing, eating, and talking Quidditch. Maybe this is also the year where I don't have to go to the hospital wing to visit you."

Harry gave her a smirk of his own before whispering in her ear. "Never gonna happen." To which Hermione responded by huffing.

A couple of minutes later, when the Great Hall finally calmed down, Dumbledore continued.

"As I was saying. The Quidditch Cup is canceled because in turn, Hogwarts will be hosting a competition that was suspended a couple of centuries ago."

Everyone started whispering about what Dumbledore might be talking about and Harry couldn't help but wonder what it was. He looked around the table and saw that nearly all the boys looked interested in entering while the girls were a little bit more apprehensive, but were also excited.

"Hogwarts will be the host of the Triwizard Tournament, after over two years of planning with the help of the Departments of Magical Cooperation, Magical Games and Sports, Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and the Office of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts not to mention the French and Bulgarian ministries."

The Hall exploded once again, but this time the murmurs were excited rather than angry. Ron, Fred, and George looked surprised by the inclusion of their father's office but didn't manage to say anything as Dumbledore ignored the murmurs and continued.

"In this tournament, one person - one champion - from each school will be chosen and they will represent it through the rest of the year while they encounter three extremely hard and dangerous tasks. The winner will win ten thousand galleons and eternal glory among the other Triwizard Champions." The Hall whispered excitedly once again about the pretty amazing prices and Harry was beginning to get excited about the tournament.

"We will be hosting the schools of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, they'll arrive on October 30th and there will be a period of 24 hours where those wishing to participate can enter their names, I will explain the procedure later on when the other two schools are here. But one thing I will say is that this is an extremely dangerous tournament. People have died in the past and the extremely large death toll was the reason why it was canceled in the first place."

Harry felt his stomach drop. Any thoughts of entering the tournament were out of his mind at that instant. He was already preparing himself to survive Voldemort, he didn't want to actively enter a tournament where he could die. No, if anything, this was going to be a peaceful year for once. He wasn't going to enter.

He looked around the Hall and while some people were deterred, there were others that were inspired by this. He turned to Hermione and saw that she was looking at him with concern.

"Harry, please don't tell me you're planning on entering this tournament."

Harry gave her a warm smile, he loved every time she was concerned about him, it made him feel like there were people that cared about him.

"I won't enter Hermione. I promise."

She gave a relieved sigh before turning her attention back to Dumbledore, but not before sneaking her hand into Harry's, her fingers intertwining with his, beneath the table, away from prying eyes as Harry felt his heart thundering in his chest as he held her hand

"Are you serious Harry? What about the ten thousand galleons and the eternal glory! You must be mad to pass on that without even considering it."

Hermione turned to glare at Ron and snapped at him "Did you not hear about the death toll, Ronald! People have died in this tournament, this isn't something to take lightly."

"Whatever, Hermione. It's worth it. It's a lot of money and eternal glory" Ron said with a wistful voice before snapping out of his own trance. "Besides, it's not as if we haven't faced worse. I mean, You-Know-Who, a basilisk, dementors, a werewolf. This should be a piece of cake."

" **We** haven't faced that, Ronald! **Harry** has!"

"We faced them together."

"We did face them together Hermione, I don't think I would've been able to surv-"

He stopped at Hermione's glare and she turned to look back at Ron.

"Harry is the one that faced that, and it wasn't a walk in the park! He almost died multiple times and has the scars to prove it!"

"Whatever, Hermione. If Harry could have faced that and won, so could we. Right, Harry?"

While Harry was skeptical that was the case since he himself only survived most of the time because of luck, he decided to support Ron.

"Yeah, both of you could have faced that, Hermione. I didn't do anything special."

Hermione just huffed and turned her attention to Dumbledore, but she still didn't let go of Harry's hand.

"Due to the large death toll, the ministry has decided that only students that are of age can enter the tour-"

Dumbledore didn't manage to continue as the Great Hall was suddenly filled with screams of protest from students from fourth years to above. He couldn't make out any voices due to all the yelling but he understood the message loud and clear. People weren't happy about this. But he wasn't one of them since he already had decided that he wouldn't participate.

It took nearly fifteen minutes and help from all the teachers to calm the Great Hall down and once they were able to do so, Dumbledore spoke up once again.

"That will be all. I'll explain more at the feast on October thirty, for now go and rest since you've had a long day and tomorrow we start classes. Good night."

The hall slowly emptied and Harry returned to the Gryffindor tower with Ron and Neville while Hermione, Lavender, and Parvati were behind them catching up. All Ron and Neville talked about was about how unfair it was that they weren't permitted to participate in the tournament. Well, Ron did most of the talking while Neville listened and Harry tuned it out.

If anything, Harry was happy about it. That way it was guaranteed that he didn't have to enter. He would finally have a quiet year and he couldn't help but look forward to it.

He stepped into the common room with the other five and immediately spotted three girls moving towards him and envelope him in a big hug. When they pulled back he saw his quidditch teammates telling him how glad they are that he was fine after what happened at the World Cup. He reassured them that he was fine and was saved by Hermione grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the boys stairs.

She gave him a kiss on the cheek and said "Good night." Before following a giggling Lavender and Parvati up the girl's stairs.

Harry didn't know how long he spent standing there, gently touching the spot where she kissed him, before Ron pushed him up the stairs with a smug grin plastered on his face.

Before he knew it, Harry was already in bed listening to the others talk. He placed the silencing charms in his curtains so that he wouldn't listen to Ron's snores and they wouldn't listen to his screams.

He had a small talk with Remus and Sirius about his day and the Triwizard Tournament. Sirius looked extremely jealous at not having the opportunity to enter or at least see one during his schooling years while Remus was just thankful about Harry not wanting to enter.

Just after that, Harry put the mirror safely on the drawer in his nightstand and fell into a deep sleep. Dreaming about how a quiet year would finally look like, blissfully ignorant to Voldemort's plans to make sure he doesn't have a peaceful year, not even close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a small tease at the end to keep you guys interested! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	10. Confrontations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta-Read By Aani

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were walking into the Defense classroom only to find themselves alone. The trio took their usual place near the front of the classroom. Unfortunately for Harry, he wasn't paying attention and sat next to Hermione. For the past few weeks sitting next to Hermione had made his insides do summersaults for hours. Now… well… now was a different story.

Everything had been going fine until they all received their time tables for the year. Harry showed her his time table and she noted that Runes wasn't on his schedule. She immediately wanted to go to Professor McGonagall and tell her to change Harry until he told her that he wasn't joining the class.

Hermione tried all of breakfast to convince him to join Runes with her, stating that she knew he clearly loved the subject and that he wanted to join the class. He had tried to explain to her how he wouldn't have much free time to train if he did join the class.

She had tried everything she could to convince him, even trying to plan schedules where he would have just enough time for everything. But since Dumbledore had forced him not to overexert himself, he still turned her down.

It took almost all of Monday to finally convince Hermione that he wouldn't budge from his stand. On Tuesday she had stopped bothering him about Runes, instead she looked dejected and that somehow felt worse. How he wished he could go back to her trying to convince him about Runes. While she didn't completely ignore him, all of the things he had grown accustomed to the past couple of weeks was gone.

This issue had seeped into other areas of their friendship, their…whatever it was, this nameless thing that had started between them at the Burrow. It was like a chasm had yawned between them suddenly.

There was no randomly grabbing each other's hands, no more leaning into each other while reading. Nothing. He missed touching her, even if it was the chastest of touches, he realized that he couldn't go without them now that he had experienced them. And by the looks of Hermione, she clearly missed them too. But neither of them knew how to initiate what was suspended between them again.

He couldn't really blame Hermione, after all, he had basically promised throughout all of their time at the Burrow that he would join her in Runes, only to break his promise. He didn't want to do that, he hated breaking his promises, but he needed Dumbledore's lessons and didn't want to risk them.

Harry didn't want to risk his lessons not only because he wanted to stop having visions of Voldemort, he was also convinced that they would help him with his constant nightmares. If he managed to master occlumency, surely he would be able to control his nightmares, maybe even stop the screaming that he could still hear when he's awake.

Even though he had told Hermione everything, he couldn't bring himself to tell her how much that night still affected him. Harry knew that she would not only understand and support him, but she would also be heartbroken to know how damaged he had become by everything he had experienced in his life.

He wasn't ready to share that yet, not even with her. And he's not even sure why that is. He knows Hermione was the kindest, warmest and most loving person he knew - he never had anyone care about him the way she did, and perhaps that's what stopped him, because it scared him. He's never really opened up to anyone, he's not sure if he starts, and with Hermione of all people, he'd know where or how to stop - the floodgates would open and he didn't want to drown her in his miseries, he wasn't sure how he could let her save him.

He was sure of one thing though - they would be alright. After everything they've been through he wouldn't let something stupid like this break them.

Missing Hermione in the way they had grown closer together and her touches showed him how much he needed her in his life. Her presence made everything better, easier, more enjoyable. Without it, Harry felt like there was a void in his life.

Just as he was about to muster his courage and try to make amends with Hermione, all their classmates entered the classroom, effectively removing their privacy and making it impossible to try and get Hermione to forgive him.

They didn't have to wait long before the door behind them violently opened and shut just as quickly. No one needed to turn around to know who had entered the room, the walking pattern was confirmation enough. As soon as Mad-Eye Moody got in front of the classroom, Harry could see his magical eye moving all around the classroom, even behind his head.

After a couple of moments, where no one dared to break the silence, he seemed satisfied, turned around and started writing on the blackboard before loudly stating what he was writing.

"Ex-Auror Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody!"

He turned around once again before he grunted.

"I'm your new Defense Professor. I'm only doing this as a personal favour to Dumbledore and will only stay here this year. That means I don't have enough time to whip you lot into shape, but I'll do my best with what time I have."

Harry turned to look at Ron and saw that he was about to say something before deciding to shut up. He knew Ron was excited about having Moody as a teacher, he hadn't shut up about that for the past few days. Harry was sure that Ron was about to question Moody as to why he was only staying for a year before wisely shutting the idea down.

"Now!" Moody barked, making Harry turn to him with his full attention. "What we'll see today is usually only taught to seventh year students." Harry could sense the whole class avidly paying attention to Moody now. "Dumbledore has allowed me to plan this course however I want and happens to agree with me that it is better for you to learn this now. Today, we'll be learning about the three unforgivable curses."

Immediately the whole classroom started murmuring about said curses, there was even a gasp or two at their mere mention from somewhere behind him but Harry couldn't place the sources. Harry having read about them over the summer knew exactly what they were and by the looks of it, Hermione knew it as well. Harry gave an inward sigh. This would not be a fun class.

"Now! Can anyone tell me one of the unforgivable curses?"

Surprisingly, Malfoy raised his hand.

"Malfoy!"

"The imperius curse, sir."

Moody walked all the way towards Malfoy, standing a few meters away from him before proceeding to analyze him for a few moments.

"You would know all about the imperius curse wouldn't you, Malfoy?"

Draco just smirked at the professor. Moody turned back to his desk and pulled out a spider. Moody enlarged the spider until it was the size of one of the acromantulas Harry had seen in the forest over a year ago.

"Imperio!" The spider suddenly became placated, barely even moving. "The imperius curse is probably the most dangerous curse out of the three. That is because it's undetectable, there is no way to know if someone is under the curse or not. When someone is hit by this curse, they would be compelled to do anything the caster told them. People have been forced to kill their friends and family while under the influence of this curse. That is why I consider this the deadliest curse out of the three. This makes anyone and everyone a suspect, you would never know if someone you're talking to is under the curse and is plotting to kill you. It essentially makes it impossible to trust anyone, not even the people closest to you. This is why you must always use CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

Moody once again pointed his wand at the spider and commanded it to do a cart-wheel, which the spider proceeded to do. When it did some people started laughing which made Moody snap at them.

"Silence!" Everyone immediately stopped laughing. "This is not a game. We are studying the vilest and most dangerous curses, you shouldn't be laughing. Would you be laughing if I commanded it to attack you and gorge out your eyes? Or perhaps it would be funnier if I cast the curse on your best friend and made him throw himself from the top of the Astronomy Tower."

With everyone that laughed looking down at their desks, Moody proceeded.

"What is another of the unforgivable curses."

Harry saw Neville gingerly raise his hand.

"Longbottom."

"T-the c-cruciatus curse, sir."

Moody gave Neville a look that Harry was sure was pitiful before he turned back and walked to the spider.

"The cruciatus curse, also known as the torture curse, is the most cruel yet effective way to torture someone. The spell, along with all the unforgivables, is unblockable. Once it hits its target, the person suffers the worst pain they had ever or will ever face." Harry could feel Hermione's worried face looking at him with a concerned expression but he decided to ignore it. "The feeling is almost unbearable, from experience I can only describe it as feeling as if your insides themselves were burning alive."

Harry felt his right hand began to twitch slightly as he recalled the feelings of being under the torture curse. He tried to stop his hand from trembling but couldn't, the more he tried the harder it was to make it stop. He felt a familiar hand slowly intertwine with his and gave it a small reassuring squeeze. Slowly, Harry felt his hand stop twitching.

"The torture curse is extremely dangerous, over exposure to it can lead to permanent damage. If you're exposed to approximately an hour of the cruciatus curse, you will have permanent nerve damage and if you're exposed to over 4 hours, you would go insane."

He gave Neville another look of pity before he cast the spell.

"Crucio!"

Moody only held it for a couple of seconds but the damage was done. Harry was transported back to the memory of that night. The screams of the man that had haunted all of his nightmares for the past three weeks were starting to creep back into his mind, they were as vivid as they were the first day he was back at the Burrow.

He was so focused on trying to push them down that he didn't realize that Moody had approached the row where the trio were seated. He put the spider in front of Hermione as she lowered her raised hand and settled it in her lap.

"Miss Granger. The last unforgivable?"

Harry didn't have to see Hermione to know how she was feeling at watching these curses being cast and knowing what will happen when she tells Moody the last curse. Before she could answer, Harry beat her to it and answered Moody's question in a hollow voice while staring at the spider.

"Avada Kedavra."

Moody nodded at him and cast the killing curse at the spider. For a moment Harry couldn't hear anything, he wasn't sure if it was just the classroom being quiet or if his mind just numbed the sound. All Harry could concentrate on was the green beam that hit the spider and the words that echoed in his mind while he was forced to remember the cold, dead eyes.

" _You should have done more."_

* * *

He was hiding behind the last piece of cover that was left. The other three had been destroyed by them and he was pushed into the defensive. Out of the original four, there were only now two. He would need to act soon, he couldn't wait like a sitting duck for them to reach him. He felt a spell crash against his cover and was sure that if he didn't leave soon, it would be over.

Harry acted on instinct when he rolled over from his cover. While he was rolling he managed to spot the two dummies and as soon as he landed on one knee, he acted.

"Protego!"

He managed to raise a shield only to have two spells crash against it at the same time, breaking it and pushing Harry backwards, landing on his bum as his back crashed against the wall.

He saw that the dummies were about to cast another round of spells at him. He quickly reacted with his instinct.

"Reducto!"

He cast the curse at the stone he used as cover just a couple moments ago. He proceeded to levitate a large chunk a couple of meters in front of him just in time to absorb both spells, breaking the stone in the process. Some small stray pieces of the stone were launched at Harry, gracing cuts all over his face.

"Stupefy!"

The curse hit a dummy and Harry quickly rolled out of another spell from the last dummy.

"Protego!"

The disarming spell the dummy cast was blocked by the shield and rebounded towards the dummy, effectively incapacitating it

As soon as the simulation ended Harry collapsed on the floor breathing heavily. He knew he shouldn't be pushing himself as much as he was, but being in these simulations helped clear his mind and have moments of peace when he needed them. After Moody's lesson, the screams were back to the forefront of his mind and the only moments where he couldn't hear them was when he was taking part in these simulations.

After a couple of minutes, he stood up and walked across the large room. The room had made every single accommodation Harry had asked for, so when he asked for a large place where he could conduct simulations, the room created that place while also keeping the library and other staples of what had become **his** room.

He had spent a lot of time there, at least five hours daily. Sometimes he even forgot what time it was and got back to the tower at extremely late hours. After the second night in the castle where he had to sneak out from the room and walk to the Gryffindor common room, he decided it was best to just bring the cloak around everywhere. He didn't want to place it in his school satchel where it could be easily stolen, so it had taken place in the pocket of his robes, while the mirror from Sirius still had its place in the pocket of his jeans.

As he walked over and sat on his chair near the small library he cast a _Tempus_ charm and saw that it was quarter past nine pm. At first, he wasn't bothered by the fact. At this point he was used to sneaking back with the cloak. It was a couple of minutes until he remembered that today was his first meeting with Dumbledore.

Harry immediately shot out of his seat, quickly grabbed his belongings and placed them in his book bag before sprinting out of the room and rushing towards the headmaster's office. Since he had a private meeting with Dumbledore he didn't even bother with the cloak, he knew the Headmaster would baqil him out if needed.

Fortunately for Harry, he managed to go through the corridors and reach Dumbledore's office without being caught. He walked up the stairs of the gargoyle and knocked on the door.

"Enter."

He pushed the door open to see Dumbledore sitting in the middle of the room where there were two chairs facing each other.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I got caught up doing… er… homework?"

"Not even a week has passed and you're already pushing yourself, Harry?"

"No! No, Professor. I'm sorry. I just lost track of time."

"Quite understandable Harry. Now, before we start today's session I think it would be prudent to start where we left off on our last chat." Dumbledore continued after seeing what must have been a puzzled expression on his face. "I tried requesting a time turner from the Department of Mysteries. Unfortunately, after suspecting that one of them was used to free Sirius a couple of months ago the unspeakables aren't keen on handing them out anymore."

"Unspeakables?"

"The people that work at the Department of Mysteries. I'm sorry Harry, I know how much you wanted it."

"It's fine, Professor." Harry said in a dejected tone a Dumbledore appeared to have read his mind.

"I'm sure Miss Granger will come around you not joining her for Runes, Harry."

Harry looked up at him and saw that damn twinkle again.

"I don't think gossip does you justice, sir." Harry retorted dryly.

Dumbledore continued after giving Harry a mischievous smile.

"Now Harry. Occlumency is an extremely hard branch of magic to master. This can't be taught in any books and the learning process isn't an easy one. It can only be taught by a master of the art, that would be me, and it is a long and complicated process."

Harry nodded his understanding.

"Now, occlumency is a branch of magic that will permit you to have a better control of your mind. It is used to protect yourself from an external mental attack, but there are some side benefits. It will help you to control your emotions, something that is extremely useful when acting under pressure. It will also greatly improve your focus.

"The way to become an occlumence is similar to how people muggles build muscles while doing exercise. I'm going to attack your mind using legilimency."

"Ok. But how am I supposed to repel your attacks?"

"You need to clear your mind, Harry. You won't be able to stop me unless you are able to control your emotions and clear your mind of any thoughts. This is your first lesson, don't be too hard on yourself if you feel like you aren't making much progress. I promise you that you will see it in a couple of months."

Harry nodded

"Stand up and take out your wand, Harry."

He did as he was told and after a couple of moments to ready himself by clearing his mind of everything.

"You can use your wand to attempt to stop me by using light stinging hexes while I attempt to break into your mind. You can use your mind to repel me and you won't need to resort to your wand."

He gave another nod.

" _Legilimens_!"

Before he knew it images started flashing across his mind.

He was seven, crying in his cupboard after being locked inside for two days without food… He was ten, running away from Dudley and his gang of bullies that were playing their favourite game, _Harry_ _Hunting…_ He was eleven, walking through Diagon Alley for the first time… He was fourteen, Hermione's head was resting on his shoulder with him kissing the top of her head.

That last scene made him snap out of his trance and he tried to stop the images from coming. He suddenly felt an intense pain on his knees, Dumbledore's office was back in his view. Only then did he realize that he had crashed on his knees on the floor. He looked up at Dumbledore and saw he had a smile on his face.

"That was really good Harry, especially for the first time. You didn't even use your wand to repel me from your mind."

"Thank you sir." Harry replied while he was standing up, blushing slightly at the compliment.

He sat down on the chair, his head felt like it had been hit by the whomping willow. He looked up at Dumbledore and saw that his smile was gone, he had a concerned look on his face.

"Harry… those first images while you were at the Dursleys…"

"I don't want to talk about it, sir." Harry replied rather harshly before Dumbledore could continue.

Dumbledore nodded. "I think it should be for the best if you rested for a couple of minutes before we try that again. Now that you know how legilimency feels, you should try to clear your mind of everything as soon as the first image appears."

After a couple of minutes, both of them were standing once again with Harry trying to clear his mind of everything. As soon as he heard dumbledore starting the incantation Harry only had one thought, remembering the pain he felt the last time they tried this.

_This is going to be a long night._

* * *

As Harry was walking towards the Potion's classroom for his final lesson of the week he couldn't help but feel extremely tired. While his class schedule wasn't exactly full, his extracurricular training had been pretty hard. After stopping training for two 2 weeks, he came back with full force, increasing the difficulty of the training with the room's help. Dumbledore's occlumency lesson from last night didn't help either, after he came back to the common room that night, he had a headache that didn't let him sleep until two in the morning.

He spent all of his free time doing his homework, even though it was much easier than before since he'd been studying for the hardest classes over the summer, it was still a chore that took most of his free time. But since he'd already finished all the homework for the weekend, he was looking forward to a weekend full of rest.

Harry couldn't wait for Potions to finish so that he could go to his dorm and sleep for fifteen hours straight. Of course, he knew that wouldn't be possible, it had been a long time since he hadn't woken up in the middle of the night from his nightmares, but he hoped that he was tired enough to ignore them.

He was near the classroom when he remembered he forgot to grab his potions book from his trunk. He started sprinting towards the common room, leaving a confused Ron and Hermione behind.

"Where are you going!" He heard Ron shout his name

"Forgot potions book!" He shouted back without stopping or turning to look at them.

He quickly made his way through the halls, into the Gryffindor common room, and up the stairs to his dorm. He grabbed his potions book from his trunk and started rushing back to the classroom.

He wasn't sure how much time he'd wasted in getting his book and cursed himself for being stupid and forgetting to pack it when he woke up earlier that day. When he arrived outside the classroom he saw that he was too late, his classmates were no longer outside waiting for Snape to open the door.

Harry knew that Snape would take this opportunity to attack him throughout the class and he tried counting to ten. He really wasn't in a mood to deal with Snape, the person he hated more than Snape at the moment was Lucius Malfoy. He wanted to make the greasy git pay for what he did to Remus and Sirius. But it wouldn't help to blow up in his first Potions class of the term.

He slowly opened the door, trying as hard as possible to be stealthy, and tentatively stepped inside the classroom. As soon as he closed the door behind him he heard the voice he hated with a passion.

"Potter! You're late! Ten points from Gryffindor for Potter's unpunctuality!"

Harry ignored the git and sat down next to Hermione. But Snape wasn't done with him just yet.

"Since you were late, why don't you share with the class what you were doing."

Harry kept ignoring him and silently counting to ten, not that it was helping much. He could feel his anger increase at a fast pace.

"Nothing to say, Potter? Another ten points from Gryffindor!"

At this, the other Gryffindors groaned at Harry but he ignored them, he was wasting all of his effort on keeping his anger at bay.

"I'll ask again Potter, where were you that made you late for class." Snape smirked at him.

Harry remained silent and looked down to the table, he was sure that even if he counted to a million he wouldn't be able to calm himself. Hermione grabbed a hold of his hand and squeezed it, trying to calm him down, but even that wasn't working.

Harry saw that Snape was about to retort but was interrupted by Hermione.

"Please professor, Harry -"

"SILENCE YOU STUPID GIRL! I DON'T REMEMBER ASKING YOU A DAMN THING YOU NOSEY KNOW IT ALL CHIT!"

_**Snap** _

Harry felt something snap inside him, as Snape continued, a cold fury washed over him and he suddenly knew what it was that he had to do, today, right now itself.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for speaking out of turn Granger! Twenty points from Gryffindor for still not answering Potter!"

The Slytherin's were smirking while all the Gryffindor, bar Hermione, were shooting Harry death glares. And in that moment, Harry didn't care anymore. Not only did he just insult Hermione, something that is enough for him to snap, but this also reminded Harry of something Sirius and Remus told him about how Snape treated his mother back when she was at school.

Right now, Harry's only goal was to obliterate Snape and make sure he never speaks to Hermione like that again.

"I'll ask again, Potter! What were you doing that made you late!"

Harry wanted to shout, curse, and pummel the bastard, but he knew he had to play his cards right. It wouldn't do good to act without thinking and was grateful about his many talks with Sirius and Remus about how the Marauders pushed Snape's buttons when they were in a confrontation.

While at first it had bothered him how his father and his friends appeared to be a group of bullies, he lost all feelings of pity when the Marauders told Harry that Snape was a death eater and how he called his mum the M-word. After that, he only felt hatred against the man in front of him, helped by the fact that Harry knew Snape was the one behind Remus and Sirius being on the run.

He slowly turned to look up at Snape, feeling his pure rage radiate from him, before answering in a cool voice.

"I was taking a shower, professor. Maybe you should do the same from time to time, you smell worse than the Chamber of Secrets and believe me, that's saying something"

Everyone was looking in shock at Harry, with Hermione holding his hand in a death grip, while Snape glared at Harry turning a color that would make his uncle proud before exploding.

"FIFTY POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR AND DETENTIONS FOR THE REST OF THE MONTH POTTER!"

"No."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO, POTTER!?"

"I mean that I'm afraid I won't be attending those detentions. I have better things to do with my time, you should use that extra time to wash your hair. Although, at this point I don't know if that would harm your hair rather than help it. After years of not washing it, it may fall out as soon as you do."

Snape only grew angrier as Harry talked, he was smirking inwardly. He may not be able to pummel him like he pummeled Malfoy and his goons, but after spending some time with Sirius this summer, he knew just how to wind up the greasy git.

"YOU CAN'T UNDERMINE MY AUTHORITY THAT WAY POTTER! I'LL HAVE YOU EXPELLED FOR THIS!"

At this, Hermione's grip only grew stronger, he was sure that she would break a few of his bones if she applied a little more pressure. Harry just gave Snape a feral grin, while he hadn't expected Snape to actually threaten with expulsion, it didn't matter. He knew there was no way that he would be expelled any time soon.

"Excellent Professor. Why don't we go to the headmaster's office and sort this out. That way you can have me expelled before dinner." Harry said in a pleasant voice.

"Mate, are you insane!" Ron furiously whispered from his right.

"Harry, please don't do this." Hermione pleaded from his left.

"No, Potter! Another thirty points for your cheek and another month of detentions! I'll see you every night at nine pm in my office!"

Harry tsked at the greasy git. "You disappoint me, Snape. Who would have thought the big bad bat of Slytherin would be a spineless coward. What's wrong, Snape? Are you afraid of a little chat with the headmaster?

Snape's expression conveyed pure rage like Harry had never seen before from him.

"Harry please… thin-"

"SHUT UP GRANGER! POTTER! TO THE HEADMASTER'S OFFICE! NOW! THE REST OF YOU ARE TO STAY HERE AND BREW THE WIT-SHARPENING POTION!

Harry stood up, smiled at the bastard and was about to move towards the door when he felt a hand tugging him.

"Harry, please use your brain. You can get expelled for this!"

"Granger! Let go of Potter now!"

"We're a bit occupied here, professor. I'll be there in a second." He turned back to Hermione. "You trust me?"

"Yes Harry but-"

"Then trust me when I say I'll be ok."

Hermione looked at him pleadingly but Harry wasn't about to relent, he'd had enough of Snape.

"Please Hermione…"

"Fine!" Hermione dropped his hand and opened her book, ignoring Harry completely.

_Great job, Potter! Now she's mad at you because you couldn't control your temper. You just got her to come around you not joining her in Runes and ruined it again._

"I'll see you soon, Hermione." Harry said softly.

When she huffed in response, Harry turned around and began walking with Snape in silence to Dumbledore's office. Even though Harry's anger was slightly tempered by Hermione's reaction, it grew back to its previous state as they were walking.

"You think you're so untouchable because you're the boy who lived. I'll make sure you learn your place after today, Potter! You're just like your father! Lazy! Arrogant!"

"Professor, you've used the same line for the past three years. I'd recommend you get some new material but after today you'll learn you're not the one in charge here."

Snape made a sound Harry couldn't place. It was like a combination of a growl, a huff, and a harrumph. Harry ignored it and continued walking. As soon as they reached the Gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office, Snape barked the password, headed up the stairs, and pushed open the door without even knocking.

Harry trailed behind him and walked in to see Dumbledore sitting calmly in his desk, not at all surprised by Snape's sudden interruption.

"Severus. Harry. Lemon drop?"

"Albus! Potter arrived late to class today, not answered a direct question concerning his previous whereabouts, and then had the audacity to undermine my authority and disrespect me!"

Dumbledore turned to look at Harry.

"Is this true, Harry?"

"Yes." Harry responded without missing a beat.

"I'm sorry, Harry. But I'm afraid you're going to have to go to detention with Professor Snape."

"I'm afraid I can't do that Headmaster."

Dumbledore appeared taken aback for a millisecond before he schooled his features.

"Why not Harry?"

"Because… I have better things to do than give this greasy git any satisfaction."

Harry could sense more than see Snape's smirk from where he was standing.

"You see this, Albus? He's just like his father, he thinks he can walk around Hogwarts as if he owned it. All these years you have been excusing his rule breaking and has led to this. He clearly isn't willing to listen to authority figures, I demand he be expelled this instant!

Harry couldn't help himself and retorted before Dumbledore could give him an answer.

"After all these years you're still sore, Snivellus?"

Snape immediately turned to look at Harry, red faced from anger. It took a few moments before the greasy git made the connection. He grabbed his wand and pointed it straight at Harry's head.

"Where's Black, Potter? You will tell me where he is and you will tell me NOW!"

"Severus lower your wand."

Harry ignored Dumbledore and gave Snape a smirk that could only be described as predatory.

"You still don't get it do you, Snivellus?" He took one step forward. "You still think you're the one who's in control here." Another step, he was only a couple of feet away from the wand. "Please, just give me a reason. Just one, I dare you." He was standing directly in front of Snape, his wand touching his forehead. "Just one little hex, one small spell. You know you want to, Snivellus. Come on. DO IT!"

Snape was taken aback from Harry's behaviour but still didn't lower his wand. After a couple seconds passed, Harry stepped back and began walking around Snape in a semi circle motion, like a predator encasing his prey.

"That's what I thought. I'm glad you're learning Snape. You have no control here, nothing you do matters. I won't be expelled from Hogwarts, even if I miss a few detentions or not."

"Harry, why are you so sure I won't expel you?" Dumbledore said, his voice raised but still maintaining his grandfatherly tone clearly trying to get back control of the situation.

Harry walked towards Dumbledore's desk until he was only a few feet away from the headmaster and stared directly into his eyes. Slowly, softly he started speaking, all that his mind had figured out now coming pouring out of him,

"Professor, we both know that if you expel me the ministry will snap my wand. You wouldn't risk that. With all that's happening with Voldemort, expelling me would be the same as sentencing me to death. Besides, you clearly have some plans for me, you wouldn't be training me if you didn't have them. That's why you won't expel me."

He turned to look back at Snape and walked towards him.

"It's time you and your snakes learned something, Snivellus. I'm done. I'm done dealing with you. I'm done dealing with your pureblooded bigots. I'm done being pushed around. The next bigot that even dares to try that will learn WHY I'M THE PERSON THAT MURDERED QUIRRELL AND KILLED A 60 FOOT BASILISK! I'M NOT PLAYING GAMES ANYMORE!"

Harry took a couple of seconds to calm down before he continued, Dumbledore and Snape hadn't dared interrupt him.

"I know what you're thinking, Snivellus. I can't defend myself against you as easily as I can against the rest of your little bigots. But what I can do is destroy you. If you abuse me or any of my friends again. If you deliberately jeopardize their grades. If you continue allowing your snakes to use those derogatory insults. If I even catch you glancing at one of my friends the wrong way. I'll make sure to use my _fame_ ," Harry said emphasizing his tone of disgust at that word. "To make sure the whole wizarding world knows how Hogwarts potion master treats their children. I have a lot of memories that I'm sure the Daily Prophet is very interested in seeing and will see you without a job before you can even brew your next potion."

"YOU DARE TALK TO ME LIKE THAT POTTER! IT'S TIME YOU LEARNED TO RESPECT YOUR BETTERS!"

"MY BETTERS?! MY BETTERS?! YOU'RE STILL THE SAME BIGOTED DEATH EATER YOU WERE BACK THEN! NO WONDER MY MUM DIDN'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU! IT'S TIME YOU PULLED YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ARSE AND REALIZE THAT SHE WOULD HAVE NEVER LOVED YOU!

Harry turned away from Snape noticing the wind knocked out of the man with satisfaction, and walked towards Dumbledore.

"AND I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ACTUALLY HIRED A DEATH EATER TO TEACH AT HOGWARTS! HE DESERVES TO BE IN AZKABAN!"

"Harry, Severus is a changed man, he's repen-"

"I DON'T CARE! IT'S CLEAR HE STILL BELIEVES IN THOSE SAME PUREBLOOD NONSENSE! HE JUST TREATED HERMIONE LIKE SHE WAS NOTHING MORE THAN DIRT ON HIS SHOE! SO I DON'T GIVE A FUCK HOW MUCH YOU SAY HE'S CHANGED, IT'S CLEAR HE HASN'T!"

"Harry, you're letting your feelings for Miss Granger cloud your judgment."

"HE'S CLEARLY PREJUDICED AGAINST ANYONE WHO ISN'T A PUREBLOOD! THIS ISN'T ABOUT HERMIONE!"

Harry said loudly banging his fist on Dumbledore's desk, sending a few things clattering on the floor, unconcerned about anything else but his righteous fury.

Harry took a deep breath before he continued.

"I'm not letting anything cloud my judgment, Professor. How do you think the Death Eaters started out? They thought they were better than muggleborns and became prejudiced. The only difference between them and Snape, is that Snape didn't have the guts to stay on the losing side."

"Harry, Professor Snape is trying to repent for what he did, but he can't do that if you undermine his authority like this, he would lose the entire class's respect."

"He's a pureblood bigot that doesn't deserve respect. Respect is earned, especially when you used to be a death eater. Besides, they don't respect him, Professor. They _fear_ him. Reminds you of someone, doesn't he?" Harry continued before Dumbledore could answer his question. "Like I said. I won't do anything as long as nobody attacks me or my friends. As long as Snivellus doesn't try anything, I'll keep quiet during class."

He started walking towards the door before turning back to look at Snape. "It only takes one undeserved grade, Snape. Then, I'll rain hell on you and make sure you're out of Hogwarts before you can do anything about it."

And with that he walked out of Dumbledore's office but stayed near the door, eavesdropping the conversation that was about to take place, hiding in an alcove. He was curious to see if his threats would work. They weren't empty threats. As much as Harry hated using his fame like this, he couldn't help but think it was a great idea on his part. Nonetheless, he'd rather see a miserable Snape unable to do anything against him rather than throwing him out of Hogwarts.

It took a couple of moments before Snape finally spoke.

"You can't let him do this, Albus! He's acting as arrogant as his father, this will get to his head and he'll act like this with every other authority figure."

"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do, Severus. I don't doubt for a second that Harry will do this if he's pushed and I'm sure that if the memories are damning enough, the school board will dismiss you."

"Albus, you can't let Potter get away with this! You have to do something! Order him to back down! This is unacceptable!"

"I'm sorry Severus, but I'm afraid I can't do that. Right now I can't jeopardize my relationship with Mr Potter, with all that's coming he'll need me to guide him. If I do as you say, Potter will never let me train him for the coming conflict. We both know it's imperative that he let me guide him. He'll need so to have a chance against Voldemort."

"So that's it! He gets special treatment because he's The Boy Who Lived?" Snape spat

"No. As long as you don't push Mr Potter he won't lash back. Unless I hear any complaints from his other teachers about him I won't do anything. It's way past time you acted like all the other teachers Severus. He isn't wrong about you still acting as prejudiced as the death eaters and I will not let that happen anymore. As much as I need you, if you do something to Mr Potter I won't stop him from retaliating. Remember your vow Severus."

Harry heard footsteps approaching and he quickly sped down the stairs. Questions were flooding his mind as he did so.

* * *

Hermione was freaking out. It was already past midnight and she had not seen Harry since he left with Snape in the middle of their potions class. Nearly half an hour later Snape had returned looking worse than when he left. This gave Hermione hope that Harry wasn't expelled, however, the fact that Harry didn't return to Potions class eliminated all of that hope.

She had tried to reassure herself that Harry wasn't expelled and that she would see him at dinner. When he was also missing from dinner Hermione began to worry about him, she had asked everyone she could if they had seen him.

When everyone gave her the same negative response she began looking all over the castle. She knew Harry had his 'training sessions' in one of the classrooms but since she had been busy being mad at him all week she never got the chance to ask him where it was.

After spending over two hours checking every classroom and not finding Harry anywhere she finally resigned herself to go back to the common room. She arrived there a few minutes before curfew and saw that Harry wasn't there either. Since Ron told her that Harry's trunk was still upstairs she relaxed a little, but refused to leave the common room until Harry came back.

That's how she found herself sitting alone in the common room, freaking out about Harry before the portrait suddenly opened and Harry stepped inside. She could see that he was extremely tired, he was sweating profusely and he had a small cut on his lips.

As soon as she saw him she ran towards him and enveloped him in a bone crushing hug. She was so relieved that he was here, and even though she still didn't know if he was expelled or not, his presence just soothed all of her worries.

"It's good to have you back, Hermione." Harry said tightening his arms around her, and she could picture the large smile on his face.

She had hated this past week. She wasn't mad at Harry, not really. She was just upset about not having Harry join her at Runes. She had pictured all summer studying with Harry late at nights, having more classes with him. She had come up with the perfect scenario in her mind and it was taken away. She understood why Harry couldn't join her, that didn't mean she wasn't upset.

The worst part about the last week was how it affected her relationship with Harry. All the small touches she had grown accustomed to while staying at the Burrow were gone. She didn't know how much she would miss them until she lost them. She had wanted to grab Harry's hand, hug him, lay her head on his shoulder, but she was afraid that he was mad at her for her reaction. Right now, she was in heaven while she had Harry in her arms.

She pulled back and looked at those gorgeous green orbs and gave him a big smile.

"I missed you too."

Hermione gave him a couple of moments before she snapped.

"Don't. Do. That. To. Me. Again." She said, poking his chest with every word. "I thought you were expelled! I was so worried! Why did you have to go and pick a fight with Snape of all people?"

Harry gave her a puzzled look before answering.

"Because he insulted you." He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I wasn't going to let him talk like that to my best friend."

As much as Hermione wanted to be mad at him, she hadn't been expecting that response and as she processed it, she couldn't help a small smile from slowly creeping it's way on her face, a warmth engulfing her heart as she felt delirious with joy, Harry's nonchalant reply, expressing his concern, his protectiveness, his rage - all for her, on her behalf, she doesn't think she has the words to describe the feelings coursing through her and so she did the only thing she knew to express her delight, her sheer joy, she hugged him again. She pulled back and saw him smiling at her.

"I'm not expelled, Hermione. I always knew I wouldn't be expelled. I wouldn't have done what I did if I wasn't sure. I wasn't about to risk leaving the best girl I know behind, now was I?

Hermione kissed his cheek before cupping his face and gently touching the spot on his lips where the cut was with a delicate, slim finger as Harry shivered slightly

"What happened to you?" She asked not realising the effect of her touch on him.

"Oh, it's nothing. I guess I got a little too enthusiastic while training. I needed to blow off some steam after dealing with Snape."

"Professor Snape, Harry." Hermione gently chided.

Harry just rolled his eyes at her affectionately even as a smile played on his lips.

"I don't know about you Hermione, but I'm knackered. I think I'm going to bed."

"Goodnight Harry." She stood on her tiptoes, kissed his cheek again, and began walking up the stairs to her dorm, extremely happy to have her best friend back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I know these past like 4 chapters have been heavy so I promise that the next two chapters will be fluffy to compensate for all the moodiness that has been present in the story


	11. Study Groups And Date Nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta-Read By Aani

Harry was pacing around his, thankfully empty, dorm room. In front of him, propped up against his bed, was an enlarged version of the mirror Sirius and Remus had given him with the two Marauders watching him silently.

Harry Potter had a problem, a _**big**_ problem - he liked Hermione Granger. He liked her in a way that one doesn't simply like their best friend. This was something more. This wasn't news to him though, he'd figured it out at the end of his last year and had spent the summer thinking about her when he wasn't busy training.

Thinking back to the summer brought some memories he had tried to push down. Before he started having nightmares after his birthday, his dreams were… well… they weren't something he was particularly proud of. Every time he woke up from dreams of him and Hermione doing compromising things he needed a cold shower. Every time he had them he was ashamed, he shouldn't be having dreams like this about his best friend. It made him feel like a dirty perv.

And yet every night as he closed his eyes back then, he couldn't wait to see her in his dreams, do those things with her in his dreams. They were embarrassing and made him feel like a horrible friend but they also became the best dreams he had ever had and he looked forward to them just as he was ashamed of them in the daylight.

But when the nightmares replaced those pleasant dreams, he couldn't help but miss them, and he was ashamed about missing them.

For the past month and a half he had been getting closer to Hermione, he knew it, Ron knew it, he was sure Hermione knew it, hell, even Dumbledore knew it. And that's why he was having such a big problem, he wasn't opposed to the idea of dating Hermione, far from it, he wanted it more than he'd ever wanted anything.

And while he knew that there was a possibility, a really small one in his opinion, that dating Hermione wouldn't end well, he knew that at this point he couldn't bear just having Hermione as a friend. It wasn't enough for him, at least not without trying to become something more with her. If it didn't end well….he would go back to just being friends with her, but he was going to make sure that it never got to that point.

The past two weeks at Hogwarts had been pure bliss for him. With Snape stopping his attacks on him and his friends at potions and with none of the snakes even daring to look at him the wrong way, he'd been having the best weeks he'd ever had at Hogwarts. He spent every moment of his free time with Hermione, and sometimes Ron when he joined them.

Every time he was alone with Hermione, whether it was studying, talking, or just sitting in a comfortable silence while reading, Harry couldn't stop his insides doing constant summersaults nor the stupid grin on his face, not that he wanted to anyways. He loved how he felt when he was with Hermione. He loved their banter they had perfected during the years. He loved just being with her. Everytime he did, it was as if all of his worries evaporated.

Spending time with her alone, having her smile at him was like having his own personal sun. Her very presence brightened his life like nothing else ever had. She was warm and lovely, her smiles were bright and beautiful; her eyes lingering on him, his eyes and his lips made him feel more alive than he ever had and when she touched him… it was unlike anything he had ever felt for someone. All he knew was, he never wanted to stop basking in her light but these past few days made him realise that he wanted more, more than he had, like a parched man dying of thirst, he needed her and wanted her and as more than just a friend.

And that's where the problem laid, he didn't know how to take the next step, he didn't even know what the next step was for crying out loud. He didn't know how to ask Hermione out on a date, he didn't know what to do on the date, he didn't even know if Hermione reciprocated his feelings.

That's how he found himself pacing in front of his godfather and surrogate uncle, trying to find the right words to explain them the situation and hopefully get them to help him. After a couple minutes of failing miserably at his task he just blurted out the first thing that came to his mouth.

"IwanttoaskHermionetoadatebutIdon'tknowhow"

Sirius and Remus just stared at him quietly for a couple of moments before Sirius began bellowing with laughter. It took almost a minute for him to calm down before he turned to Remus.

"Pay up, Moony" He said with a smirk.

Remus glared at Sirius while he pulled out ten galleons and gave them to Sirius.

"Thank you"

"What is it with people betting on when me and Hermione are going to become a couple?" Asked an exasperated Harry scowling at the older men

"Oh, this isn't about that. This is about whether or not you were going to ask us for help or not." Replied Sirius with a triumphant wink.

"Harry, would you mind changing my bet on the pool with Fred and George?" He quickly continued when Harry turned and glared at him. "Or not, I'll just change it by owl then."

"You bet on us as well!"

"We all did, Harry." Said Remus trying to placate his surrogate nephew. "Pretty much everyone at the school did, hell, I think even some first years were in on the bet by the end of last year."

Harry just gave a resigned groan before slumping down on the ground.

"I'm going to deal with the twins later, right now can you at least help me?" Harry pleaded.

Sirius gave him a mischievous smirk before puffing out his chest and started with his theatrics.

"Of course, my dear godson." He gave an over dramatic bow before continuing. "You're in luck, Harry! I used to be one of the most eligible bachelors of my year back in the day."

"You were also clearly one of the most modest bachelors as well." Remus added dryly.

Sirius ignored him and continued enthusiastically.

"Now, dating and flirting is a fickle game, you want to make them want you, you want to show you're interested, but not too interested, you want to make them think you don't care, but at the same time you do care. It's hard to play but once you master it you c-"

"Ok Harry," Remus interrupted before Sirius could start what Harry assumed would be a long, well rehearsed, speech, something Harry was thankful for since that speech only confused him even more. "I'm going to stop this before you follow Sirius's advice and mess this whole thing up."

"Oi!" Sirius piped in affronted, making Remus just give a look to his best friend as Harry silently watched the exchange.

"You know it's true, Sirius. You couldn't even get a girlfriend to last for more than a month while you were still at Hogwarts."

"But I was still the Marauder that snogged the most out of the four of us."

"How many?" Harry blurted out, suddenly curious about his godfather's past.

"Thirty six throughout my seven years at Hogwarts." Said Sirius with pride.

"Thirty six! There aren't even thirty six girls in our year!"

"Who said I only snogged girls from my year?" Sirius winked at Harry

"Or that all those thirty six people you snogged were witches."

Harry's eyes widened at the implication and Harry thought Sirius just kicked his friend as Remus let out a sudden yelp while his godfather continued.

"Remus also got around, but not nearly as much as me. I'm pretty sure Pettigrew still hasn't given his first kiss, and your father, wel-"

"Stop! I don't want to know anything about what he did and with whom!" Harry interrupted before he heard something he really didn't want to hear. He really didn't want to think about his dad snogging his mom, or anyone else for that matter. He didn't want to think of his parents as snogging teenagers. Period.

"Anyways," Interrupted Remus. "My point still stands. Harry isn't trying to play the field, he has already set his sights on Miss Granger." Harry blushed at his comment. "So, your advice here won't help much."

"Well, when James was as smitten with Lily as Harry's with Hermione he nagged her about getting a date until she said yes." Sirius said wistfully.

"Yes, but since Harry and Hermione are already close we don't need that." Remus turned to look at Harry in the eyes. "Look, you're overthinking this, Harry, just spend time alone with her and if you see she likes it, invite her to your first Hogsmeade weekend of the year."

Harry sighed. "I know I'm overthinking this, I just don't want to mess this up, Remus _. I can't_." And Harry felt pathetic when his last two words came out like a whispered whine.

"You won't Harry. I know this will sound stupid, I also thought that when I was your age, but just be yourself. It's clear to everyone Hermione's as smitten with you as you are with her," He smirked at him. "Just continue acting like you always do and I promise you that if you do that you won't have a problem. She already likes you, don't ruin it by changing into someone you're not."

He knew Remus was right, but he still wished he had the answers as to what exactly he should do.

"Thank you. I should go, I have my lessons with Dumbledore in a couple of hours and I haven't trained today."

"Alright Harry, just don't overexert yourself tonight."

"Yes, I know Sirius. I'll talk to you guys later."

"Goodbye Harry."

"Bye Harry."

Harry turned off the mirror, shrank it, and put it in his pocket before heading towards the room. When he arrived he looked at the calendar that always appeared in the room he summoned. He crossed off today's date and saw that there were only three days left before Hermione's birthday.

Harry turned to look towards the training area at the end of the room and then towards the chair and desk that were near the small library. He was torn between training and planning something for Hermione's birthday, but the thought of Hermione's smiling face helped him make up his mind as he walked towards the couch.

_There are more important things than training.  
_

* * *

Hermione woke up with a huge smile on her face. The past two weeks had been perfect and today was her birthday. She sighed contentedly, today was going to be perfect, she could feel it, not only did she have her favourite classes, Runes and Transfiguration, but she knew Harry was planning something. For the past few days, every time she saw him looking at her when he thought she wasn't looking, he had a boyish grin on his face. And while that wasn't totally unusual, especially for these past two months, it wasn't a coincidence that he started doing it more often when it was near her birthday.

She leapt from her bed and when she opened the curtains, she saw something that made her smile turn into a full grin. On her nightstand was a vase with water where two roses, one pink and one red, stood with a small card. She gently picked up the small card and read it.

_Happy Birthday Hermione!_

_Meet me in the common room at 7:30, I'll be waiting. I hope you liked the roses_

_Love,_

_Harry_

Hermione's mind was filled with questions, especially regarding how Harry managed to get her the flowers up here. Pushing them to the back of her mind she took a shower, went through her morning routine, and went downstairs to the common room.

Since it was still a little bit after seven thirty, the room was empty, except for the raven haired boy that was her best friend. He was sitting in his favourite armchair with a book on his lap. It wasn't until she reached him that she noticed he was asleep.

Hermione frowned at that, recently she'd noticed that Harry hadn't been sleeping well, often taking over five cups of coffee every day to give him energy. Deciding not to wake him up, she gently grabbed the book that Harry was reading and sat down on the couch next to his armchair.

She nearly gasped when she saw what Harry was reading. It was a DADA book, but it wasn't the usual fourth year book, if she were to guess by how advanced the spells there were, she would guess it was the book she was going to need for fifth year, and Harry was already reaching the halfway point of the book.

She knew that Harry had been studying really hard for the past three months and how seriously he took his trainings, even to the point where he and Ron no longer played chess, or goofed around in general, that often, something that she could see had been bothering him, even if he didn't voice that. But to see that Harry was already studying the syllabus for the next year surprised her.

Hermione had just assumed that Harry had been studying heavily what they were being taught during this term, and while she was sure that he was also doing that seeing as how he was the best of their year at DADA and only second to her in Potions, Transfiguration, and Charms, she now knew that he was also already studying ahead.

For some reason that made Harry even more attractive to her. While she'd always known that Harry was incredibly smart when he put his mind onto something, she was glad Harry was actually taking his studies more seriously, even if it was only in a few select classes seeing as how his acceptable notes stayed the same in other subjects that Harry had described as useless.

She was brought out from her thoughts when she saw Harry suddenly shift in his armchair and wake up. When he opened his eyes and saw her, he beamed at her.

"Happy birthday Hermione!"

"Thank you, Harry!"

She stood up and gave him a hug while he was still on his chair. When she pulled back, she saw that he was a bit nervous.

"Did you ermm… did you like the flowers..?"

"I loved them Harry! They were perfect, thank you!" She gave him another hug and felt him relax in the embrace.

Harry beamed at her. "That's great! I'll give you your present later."

"Sure, Harry. Don't worry about it."

"Although…" Hermione continued when they separated and began walking to the Great Hall with Harry carrying her book bag as he had done so for these past few weeks. "I am curious about how you managed to get them to my nightstand."

Harry chuckled at her and turned to look at her with, dare she say, something akin to love in his eyes.

"You wouldn't be you if you weren't curious. But, a wizard does not reveal his tricks."

"Not even for the birthday girl?" She mock pouted playfully, knowing that Harry usually couldn't say no to her when she did so.

"Mmmmm…" Harry appeared to consider the notion seriously for a moment before turning to her with a smirk on his face. "Nah."

She huffed like she usually did when she couldn't get him to reveal his secrets, which only caused him to laugh. Any annoyance she felt melted at the sound of his laughter and she was thrilled to find his bright eyes watching her as he laughed, making her feel giddy. She averted her gaze from him, stupidly fearing a moment more of that gaze and her heart would leap out of her chest.

They arrived at the Great Hall and began eating, after doing their weird routine they had gotten into ever since the term started where they silently served each other their respective food and drinks. How they managed to know exactly what the other would like, she didn't know, but she couldn't help but smile everytime they did.

Ron joined them around fifteen minutes after they arrived and, after wishing her a happy birthday, he and Harry began talking while she was busy reading ahead for their transfiguration class.

Thirty minutes before the class began she looked up and saw the owls entering the hall to deliver mail to the students. She was surprised though when she noticed that Hedwig stopped right in front of her instead of in front of Harry. When she looked at him she saw that he was deliberately looking anywhere except her direction.

After untying the letter and package from Hedwig's leg and giving the owl a piece of bacon that was suspiciously left on Harry's plate, she opened the letter and was surprised by what she saw.

_Dear Hermione,_

_Happy Birthday! I know you're probably surprised by this since usually we have to wait for you to write to us so that we can send you your birthday letter (something you haven't done since your first night in the castle, young lady!). But when we were surprised by this beautiful snowy owl with a letter that said we could use her to send you your birthday letter and presents, we immediately took up the chance._

_We hope you have a great birthday! We already miss you so much and while we know and understand that you are really busy with all your classes, we'd love it if you could contact us more often, something I'm sure you'll be able to do, but that's not our secret to tell ;)_

_We love you so much, sweetheart! Please thank the young man that sent us this owl for us. Good luck with classes!_

_Love,_

_Mum and Dad._

Hermione turned to Harry beaming at him, but before he could even say anything, she attacked him with a hug that almost made both of them end up on the floor.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She gave him a kiss on the cheek before letting go.

"This is the first time in the past three years that my parents wished me a happy birthday on the 19th. Thank you!"

"It's nothing, Hermione."

"It's everything, Harry. Thank you."

After waiting a few moments for his blush to slowly disappear she continued.

"Now, you wouldn't have anything to do with this secret that my parents are talking about, now would you?"

After reading the section she pointed to, Harry turned to look at her and gave her a mischievous grin.

"Spoilers."

After that, her day went by as a normal Monday would, with the exception of Lavender, Parvati, and a few others wishing her a happy birthday, until she arrived at the library to meet with her study group.

At the end of last year, a few of her classmates approached Hermione and asked her if she wanted to join their new study group. The group was a pretty big one, consisting of Daphne Greengrass and Tracy Davies from Slytherin, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbot, Zacharias Smith, and Ernie McMillan from Hufflepuff, Terry Boot, Michael Corner, Su Li, and Padma Patil from Ravenclaw, and Neville and herself from Gryffindor. They decided to continue it this year and have had about three meetings per week so far.

By the time she arrived everyone was already there since she went back to her dormitory to grab a few more books. She sat down in between Neville and Daphne, the two people of the group she was more acquainted with since she was the only other Gryffindor and worked quite a bit with Daphne at Runes and Arithmancy.

"Erm… Hermione?" A nervous Neville asked from beside her.

"Yes Neville..?"

"Ermm… Harry… He asked me to erm… give you this." He said while he handed her a letter.

"Ok…" Hermione grabbed the letter while being extremely confused as to why Neville was acting nervous.

She looked up at the other members of the group and saw them looking at her expectantly. Only after a few moments did she decide to speak up.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Aren't you going to open it?" Asked Susan.

"Well I was but now I'm not so sure." She replied with a neutral tone, not wanting to affront anyone.

"Come on Hermione, just open it. We both know that we won't be able to start until you do" Daphne stated matter-of-factly.

"If you are so interested in what it says, why didn't you guys just open it and read it before I got here?"

"Because we respect your privacy, Hermione." Said Daphne but Hermione could notice that she wasn't being entirely truthful.

That suspicion was confirmed when she turned towards Neville and he looked extremely nervous as he evaded looking directly at her.

"Neville, you have something to tell me?"

The boy beside her just shook his head emphatically.

"Neville," She said in a slightly harsher tone.

"Fine!" Neville said, turning to look up at her. "They tried to open it but couldn't!"

"Traitor." Daphne said while glaring at the boy.

"But… that's impossible, right." Hermione said disbelievingly

"It isn't," Started Su Li. "I've heard of a spell that makes it so a letter will only open to a specific person, but we won't see it until after Christmas, I think."

Hermione's mind was reeling, Harry wasn't only ahead on DADA, but also on Charms apparently. _How the hell is he so ahead of the class?_

She tentatively tried opening the letter and it easily did. She took the small note that was inside and read it.

_I'll see you outside the common room at 7:15_

_HJP_

She couldn't help but smile at the note, something that didn't slip past the rest of the group. She pocketed the note and turned up to look at the group

"So, what are we studying today?"

Everyone gave her blank expressions and she huffed in exasperation.

"Why is everyone so interested in my letter?"

"Apart from the fact that Harry charmed it so that only you could see it, with a spell we won't learn until the next year mind you." Daphne said as if she was stating the obvious.

"You were interested in it before you knew about that." She turned to look at her font of information. "Neville?"

"Erm… umm… It was erm.. We wanted to umm.. Well… you see… there's this bet wh-"

Neville was interrupted by Michael Corner placing his hand on Neville's mouth, effectively shutting him up.

"Longbottom if you tell her about that we swear to Merlin we'll kick you out of the study group." Ernie threatened.

"What bet?"

"That's not important," Dismissed Daphne. "What is important is how Harry managed to learn and perfectly perform a fifth year spell at the beginning of the fourth year."

"How do you even know that it was Harry who charmed it?" Hermione asked, pushing the bet to the back of her mind for now since she doubted anyone would answer her.

"I saw him do it." Said a recently liberated Neville.

"So.. Hermione?" Asked Padma. "How does Harry know an O.W.L level spell?"

"I don't see why that's so important." Said Hermione, not believing it herself. "Besides, it's not like it's the most impressive thing he's done. He knows how to cast a patronus and that's above N.E.W.T level."

Everyone seemed to have lost their voice for a couple moments as they looked at her like she had grown a second head, right in front of them.

"Harry can cast a patronus?" A bewildered Susan Bones asked.

"Yes, he did so at the quidditch game last year."

"That was a Patronus?" Zacharias Smith smugly asked. "Well, it didn't seem like much now did it?"

Hermione was furious at the arrogant git. _How dare he downplay Harry's achievements like that!_

She had no idea why he was even in the group since she knew that most of the group didn't like him at all.

"For your information, Smith." She began speaking coldly, in a way she never had before. "That Patronus was only after two months of practice and is more than most wizards can do. Besides, I saw him cast a full, corporeal Patronus that pushed away over a hundred dementors, saving my life in the process."

"That's impossible, no Patronus is **that** powerful. Especially not one of a thirteen year old kid!" Smith replied indignantly.

"Believe me or not, I don't really care. Now are we going to study or not?" She said with a tone of authority in her voice.

And with that everyone began studying, and for the first time, Hermione couldn't wait for it to be over.

Time passed slowly for her as they studied for their Transfiguration quiz but when it finally reached 7:00 pm she began packing her books in her bag and got ready to meet Harry. Just as she was about to leave, she was interrupted by Padma, who got encouraging looks from the others in the group as Hermione silently watched.

"Hermione… could you invite Harry to the group for the next study session?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow at that.

"So now you want him to join? It hasn't even been three weeks since I asked you to let him in."

"Well, it's not as if Potter proved himself to be smart these past three years."

"What's wrong, MacMillan? Still sore that Harry took your spot in Transfiguration and Charms?"

"Are you going to ask him or not?"

"Why would I? He's doing pretty well for himself without the group and you already said he couldn't join earlier this term so no, I won't."

And with that, Hermione left the library and made her way to the common room while contemplating her study group. She didn't even know why she was still a part of it, she hated studying with pompous people like MacMillan, Boot, and Smith.

When she reached it, Harry was standing alone, waiting for her.

"Hey you." He said, his eyes soft and a small smile playing on his lips as he took her in.

"Hi." She replied with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Are you ok, Hermione?"

_How does he manage to do that every time?_

"It's nothing. Just my study group. To be honest I don't even know why I'm still going with them."

"Maybe because you want any excuse to study?" He said in a teasing manner.

Hermione just rolled her eyes at him. "So what are we doing here?"

"Well," He started while leading her somewhere. "Since it's your birthday I thought we could do something together. I know you don't really like big surprise parties so I thought that maybe we could do something… just you and me. I hope that's ok with you" He finished gingerly

"Of course, Harry! That's perfect."

She saw Harry relax beside her and they continued walking in silence. She was brought out of her thoughts about what Harry had planned when she suddenly felt her hand brush with Harry's for a second, who was walking closer to her. After a couple of moments she felt Harry take her hand in his own, which made her smile while blushing slightly.

She turned to look at him and saw that he also had a nervous smile on his face, while his cheeks looked as flushed as hers felt. She squeezed his hand to reassure him that it was ok.

After a couple of moments Harry stopped in front of a blank wall.

"Harry… what are we doing here?"

"You'll see." He said with a mischievous grin.

He removed his hand from hers, which made her immediately miss his warmth, as he began pacing in front of the wall. She was about to ask him what he was doing when she saw a door starting to appear on the wall which made her gasp.

She turned to look back at Harry and saw him smirking at her.

"What… how… what?"

"This, Hermione, is… well… I don't really know it's name. I just call it 'the room'. It's a room that turns into whatever you want it to by just thinking about it. This is the room I've been using for training for the past three weeks."

"Wow…" She was amazed by the room, it could turn into anything she wanted, this would be the perfect room for studying and Harry was hogging it all to himself. "But… why isn't it mentioned in _Hogwarts: A History_ "

"Because very few people know about it." Harry shrugged. "The only people I've met that know about it have been Moony and Padfoot. I don't even think that the professors know about it. Come on, we're going to be late."

She walked beside him and she grabbed his hand again, relishing how her insides started doing backflips as soon as she grabbed it.

When they entered the room, she saw it was a small, empty room with only a door to the right. They made their way through the door, up the stairs and through the corridors in comfortable silence. After ten minutes they finally reached a door.

When Hermione stepped inside she admired the place she was in. She had never seen this part of the castle before, they were inside what seemed to be a small tower, she could see a mirror the size of a TV screen propped against a wall and opposite it she saw a bunch of pillows and blankets. Beside it was a table with more chocolates than her parents would allow her to eat, butterbeer, popcorn, and other snacks.

She looked up and gasped when she saw that the roof of the tower mirrored the twilight sky she knew was present outside.

"Where are we, Harry?"

"Well, I don't know exactly where we are. The only thing I know is that this was what you would call the 'base of operations' of the Marauder's. They spent most of their free time here, and while they took all of their stuff when they left Hogwarts, they did at least leave the charm on the roof."

"What did they take?"

"Well, they told me they had some couches, tables, puffs, other things like that. This was basically their own private common room back in the day."

"Wow..."

"Come on," Harry said, interrupting her from her musings and laying down on the pillows and under the blankets.

Hermione followed suit and layed down next to him.

"So, here's the plan. We have some snacks and candy, but-" Harry interrupted before she could voice her disapproval at only having junk food for dinner. "Since I know you won't approve of only eating that, I also made you this."

He grabbed his wand and gently floated a tray of food covered by a silver lid. She opened it and couldn't help but smile at what she saw. Right there on the plate was her favourite food, a rather large portion of spaghetti bolognese. She looked over at him and saw him grinning ear to ear.

"Your parents," Harry answered her unasked question. "I asked them what your favourite food was and they told me. I went down to the kitchens and made it myself while you were with your study group."

"Thank you, Harry!" She hugged him, albeit awkwardly given their side by side position. "And what are you going to eat?" She asked him seriously, feeling a bit mischievous; just to hear his reply.

"Well… I thought I could just eat snacks." She gave him a disapproving glare. "Or we could share, whatever you want." He quickly added.

Hermione smiled at him and snuggled at his side. While she was there, with her head on his shoulder, she saw Harry summoning the other food and placing it beside them, the forks and placing them on his lap, and then he summoned a small box. Harry spoke before she could interrogate him about how he already knew the summoning charm.

"Now, before we start with the movie, I'll explain soon, I want to give you my gift."

"You mean this wasn't your gift?"

"It was only part of it, here's the other part."

He handed her the small box and she opened it to find a small mirror and a note. She picked up the note and read it before focusing on the mirror.

_Voucher for ten free Ancient Runes study sessions with Harry James Potter_

She looked at him and saw him grinning, which made her fondly roll her eyes at his antics. After that she proceeded to pick up the mirror, she couldn't see why he would give her a mirror, it only took a couple of seconds for her mind to make the connection.

"Is this…"

"Yup. I had Sirius and Remus make two. One you're holding it right now and the other is with your parents. You just need to say their names and their mirror will receive the call. With this you can also call me whenever you want since I always keep my mirror with me all the time."

Hermione was speechless, she couldn't help but admire Harry's thoughtfulness. As much as she missed her parents, she often didn't find the time to write them a letter. But with this mirror she could call them whenever she wanted. She pulled Harry into a bone crushing hug and kissed him on the cheek but didn't say anything, there was nothing that needed to be said.

She parted and looked at him, she didn't realize how close they really were until now. She unconsciously licked her lips and just stared at him, sneaking glances at his lips. She wanted to kiss him so badly right there and then. She started to lean forward but when they were only a couple of inches apart, they were both startled out of their trance when they heard the mirror beginning to vibrate loudly against the floor.

"Answer!" Harry yelled, his voice had a touch of annoyance.

The mirror shifted from reflecting them to showing two men looking back at them, she instantly recognized Professor Lupin but it took her a moment to recognize Sirius since he looked nothing like he did before. Their expression quickly turned nervous when they saw Harry's glare.

"Sorry, bad time?" Professor Lupin said.

"You could say that." Harry responded grumpily

"Sorry, we got a call from Andi an hour ago and we were going out right now to see her and Ted and we wanted to activate the mirror before we left." Sirius answered.

"It's fine, could you just prop the mirror so that it shows the TV and start the movie?"

"Sure thing, Harry."

They stayed quiet while Professor Lupin and Sirius set everything up and left as soon as the movie started. Unfortunately, by this point Hermione had lost all of her courage and decided to actively avoid what happened, at least for now.

They watched the movie mostly in silence, only commenting on some parts and laughing on others. She once again snuggled close to Harry, laying her head on his shoulder while they shared their popcorn.

After the movie ended, they stayed there talking, laughing, and teasing each other. Forgotten was her annoyance at the study group as she had a perfect night with Harry, and as much as she didn't want it to end she knew it had to.

It was close to midnight when they were walking towards the common room under the cloak of invisibility, hand in hand, when Hermione asked the question that had been flooding her mind for the past few minutes.

"How did you manage to do all of this? It must have taken weeks to plan some of this stuff, especially the mirror."

Harry shrugged. "I knew how much you miss your parents and asked Sirius and Remus if they could make you a mirror like mine when they gave it to me, it arrived a couple of days ago with Hedwig. After that I only had to plan for what I thought you would want to do. Yesterday after classes I sneaked into Hogsmeade while you were helping Ron out with his homework, there I bought the candy and snacks. As for the movie, the idea came to me a couple of days ago and I asked Moony about it and he gave me the idea of using the mirrors."

"But how did they have a TV where they were living. I thought you couldn't use technology in places with magic."

"Yes, but that only counts for places like Hogwarts or Diagon Alley where there is a large amount of magic present there. Since Sirius's place isn't like that, they installed a couple of electronics in the house with the help of his cousin Andi and her muggleborn husband Ted."

Arriving at the common room she saw it was empty like she expected given the fact that it was way past curfew. They removed the cloak and Harry walked her to the staircase leading up to the girls dorms.

They both stared at each other in silence for a couple of moments without removing their hold of their hands, neither wanting the night to end.

"I should probably go…" She said breathily, not taking her eyes off of him.

"Yeah…"

Neither moved.

"It's getting late…"

"Yeah…"

Neither moved.

"We have classes tomorrow…"

"We do…"

Neither moved.

"I don't want to go." She finally whispered, though it was just the two of them alone.

"I don't want you to go." He replied in the same manner, his eyes lingering on her lips for a long moment as he said so.

They stayed there for a couple of moments just staring at each other in silence. Hermione could feel the tension in the room, you could cut it with a knife. She wanted nothing more than to snog him senseless right there and then, something that had been in her thoughts and dreams ever since that night they saved Sirius.

She walked up to him, but as soon as she reached him she lost all of her Gryffindor courage and ended up kissing him on the cheek, her lips close to his mouth lingering on his skin for a few seconds as she closed her eyes briefly. She backed away and saw that Harry had a shy grin on his face as red bloomed on his cheeks, his emerald gaze focused entirely on her.

"Thank you, Harry. Today was perfect." She softly told him with a smile, looking deeply into his eyes, feeling lost in them for a moment before she came to her senses.

She squeezed his hand and slowly moved away, their hands slowly parting until they lost contact. And with that, Hermione headed to her room with the biggest smile on her face. _Today was perfect_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I know it’s been a while since the last update. My semester for university just started a week ago and I’ve been busy. Updates may be slower but I’ll try to make it so that there’s at least a new chapter per week.


	12. The Inter-House Quidditch Match

" _Wormtail!" A high cold voice hissed loudly._

_After a couple of seconds a short, thin man kneeled down in front of him, his face betraying extreme fear._

" _Master?" The man croaked out._

" _What news of my most faithful?"_

" _My lord, he has informed me that his task was successfully completed. He is in the perfect position to secure the brat."_

" _Excellent, Wormtail! Soon the boy will be mine!" The voice hissed gleefully but continued with a less mirthful tone after looking at his servant. "What are you not telling me, Wormtail?"_

" _M-my lord?"_

" _Crucio!" The voice bellowed._

_As soon as the red beam hit the short man he began squirming on the ground and yelling out in agony. It was a couple of minutes before the spell was ended leaving Wormtail sobbing on the ground._

" _Lord Voldemort always knows when you're lying, Wormtail! I will not repeat myself again!"_

" _M-m-my l-lord, our c-contact from t-the Minis-"_

" _Crucio!"_

_Once more the man was rolling on the ground, his ear-piercing shrieks audible inside the whole mansion. After thirty seconds the spell ended again._

" _Speak to your lord with respect! I will not have my servants waste my time with pathetic, stammering, explanations!"_

" _Yes, my lord," Wormtail said, making a clear effort not to stammer his words out. "Our contact in the ministry just explained to Jr what all the tasks entail. Unfortunately, it seems that the Ministry isn't doing much to reduce the risk to the champions."_

" _And why should I care about that, Wormtail?" The voice hissed menacingly._

" _My lord…" Wormtail paused before continuing, clearly frightened about his master's possible response. "Given Jr's unorthodox position at Hogwarts during the tasks, he will not be able to help while the champions are participating during the tasks without risking revealing himself."_

" _Hmmm… This is indeed a problem, Wormtail." After a couple of minutes of quiet consideration he spoke again. "While I do need Potter's blood for the ritual, it's not necessary for the boy to be alive. Tell my most faithful not to interfere during the tasks, I need him in his position at Hogwarts during the tasks. If the boy doesn't survive then we'll deal with that later, but my most faithful is critical to my return, without him the whole plan crumbles."_

" _Y-yes, my lord."_

_And with that, Wormtail left the room._

" _Soon, we'll see what you're made of, Potter" The voice hissed. "I do hope you survive the tournament, I can't wait for the chance to destroy you! Piece by piece!"_

Harry awoke with a start, panting profusely and soaked wet in sweat. This was the first nightmare he'd had in a while. After that night after Hermione's birthday the nightmares began to slowly disappear, only happening once or twice for the past three weeks. But Harry knew this was different, this wasn't like every other nightmare he'd had since that night during the Quidditch World Cup, this was a Voldemort nightmare. A Voldemort vision.

He stepped out of his bed and headed to the bathroom where he washed his face before returning and lying down. He began thinking about the nightmare and quickly realized he was beginning to forget it.

As quick as he could he summoned a quill, parchment, and ink and began writing what he could remember before he began to forget it. Unfortunately by that point he'd forgotten most of the vision, only managing to make a small list.

"Fuck!" Harry yelled inside his spelled curtains, that made sure none of his roommates woke up, and threw the parchment a quill to the other side of the bed, hitting the curtains and landing near his feet.

This wasn't good, this was the worst thing that could have happened. He knew that with Voldemort after him, he needed every small piece of information that could help him have an advantage against him. Forgetting crucial pieces of information would only make it easier for Voldemort to kill him.

Sighing and trying to quell his anger, he grabbed the parchment, quickly got dressed and after his usual morning routine rushed outside his dorm. Thankfully the common room was empty, he really didn't want to explain to Hermione why he was in such a rush right now.

Harry sprinted towards the headmaster's office through the empty hallways and after almost five minutes of running he arrived at the gargoyle. Stopping for a few seconds to regain his breath, he realized that Dumbledore hadn't sent his note with the password to the Gargoyle since his last occlumency lesson.

"Cockroach Clusters," When the statue didn't move Harry continued. "Jelly Slugs, Mice Pops, Sugar Quills, Blood Pops, Sherbert Lemons-"

Harry stopped when the statue moved and raced up the stairs. Without even knocking, he barged inside the office only to be greeted by the side of the four heads of houses turning around to see what the commotion was.

"Mr Potter!" Professor McGonagall yelled at Harry, probably incensed about the fact that he just barged into the Headmaster's Office.

Ignoring his cheeky retort in favour of expressing his urgency, he turned to Dumbledore and ignored the other heads of houses.

"Professor, I need to speak to you immediately." He voiced out still panting owing to his run.

Harry heard Snape scoff before Dumbledore could even respond.

"Still as arrogant as always, Potter."

Harry turned to Snape and glared at the greasy bastard.

"Remember your place Snivellous while you still have it." He smirked inwardly when that shut the man up.

"Mr Potter!" McGonagall again exclaimed but Harry ignored her, turning back to Dumbledore.

"Professor, please, it's urgent!"

Dumbledore, understanding the urgency in his voice, turned to the four heads.

"That will be all for now, we'll continue this conversation at our next meeting."

All four heads nodded at the Headmaster and Flitwick, Pomona, and a sneering Snape left the office with McGonagall staying behind looking sternly at Harry.

"I am very disappointed Potter, you can't speak like that to your teachers."

"He started it, professor! I'm done lying on the ground for people to step over me." He stated matter-of-factly.

"Be that as it may, Potter, he's still a Professor and you must treat him with respect. 10 points from Gryffindor for not respecting authority figures."

Harry, for the second time on the day, tried to suppress his anger knowing that he wouldn't convince McGonagall and would only waste more time. When he said nothing, the Deputy Headmistress nodded to Dumbledore once more and stepped out of the Headmaster's office.

"Please take a seat, Harry." Dumbledore said gravely and continued once he was seated. "I'm assuming this has to do with another vision about Voldemort."

"Yes, sir. There's just one thing… I er… I kinda forgot most of it. As soon as I woke up I quickly started forgetting it, I only managed to write a small portion of what I remembered before I completely forgot it. Sorry." He finished meekly

"Interesting… very interesting. And you still remember the other dream you had in the summer?"

"Yes sir, I remember it almost perfectly."

After a few moments of silence Dumbledore fixed his gaze upon Harry again, having sorted his thoughts he continued.

"It seems that your visions of Voldemort are dictated by how strongly he's feeling at the moment. So we must assume that tonight was not strong enough for you to remember it."

Harry nodded at Dumbledore and pulled out his piece of parchment that contained what he remembered of the dream. He handed it to Dumbledore and waited, rather anxiously, for him to finish reading it. After what seemed like a couple of minutes but was actually no more than thirty seconds, Dumbledore turned back to look at Harry, his face not betraying how he was feeling before he sighed.

"Unfortunately Harry, this doesn't tell us much."

"What!? Why!?" Harry cried out indignantly.

"There are only two main things you remember about the dream. One is that one of Voldemort's supporters will be in place during the three tasks. Since the ministry decided to sell tickets for the event that could be anyone. And the second thing you remember is that Voldemort has an inside man inside the Ministry. Unfortunately, there are many Death Eaters that evaded Azkaban and are currently working at the Ministry."

"What!? How did my innocent godfather get sentenced to Azkaban while there are known Death Eaters out there!?" Harry thundered.

Dumbledore just gave a resigned sigh in response, which only served to make Harry angrier at the wizarding world. Every time he thought his opinion of the wizarding world couldn't sink any lower, he found another reason to hate it.

When he first started at Hogwarts, he thought of the wizarding world as the perfect world that saved him from his time at the Dursleys, but as time went on he started seeing the cracks that showed how truly ugly this society was. There was a clear discrimination against muggleborns that he always hated because of how it made people like Malfoy target Hermione.

But after the events of the Quidditch World Cup, Harry's view of the perfect wizarding world, the world he one thought had saved him, was completely destroyed. Knowing that known torturers, rapists, and killers are still out there, considered respected citizens learning how some of these people even worked for the ministry; most likely because of their 'pure blood' status, made Harry's blood boil as well as caused him to wonder why half bloods and especially muggleborns chose to stay here after they finish their Hogwarts years. It made Harry wonder whether he would want to stay in Britain after Hogwarts, if he was even alive by that point, he thought grimly.

Dumbledore apparently followed his thoughts and knew exactly what he was thinking.

"If it's any consolation, Harry, I'm truly sorry. Sirius deserved better."

Harry just gave a half nod at the headmaster before he left his office. Not only did the information he managed to gather of Voldemort's plans not serve any purpose to try to stop it, but now his opinion on the wizarding world had reached new lows.

* * *

A couple of days after his nightmare Harry, Hermione, and Ron were at the Great Hall during breakfast on a beautiful autumn Saturday morning having a nice breakfast. Hermione was sitting besides Harry reading her arithmancy book while Ron was across him, eating while they talked about the tournament.

"I still think it's unfair that we can't even try to join the tournament. After all we three have been through the tournament should be a walk in the park. Besides, 10,000 galleons and eternal glory, who wouldn't want to have a chance at that, mate?" Ron said for like the millionth time in this past month

Harry swore he saw Hermione roll her eyes at Ron. She had confessed to him when the two of them were alone that she was sick and tired of Ron going about how unfair it was he couldn't join the tournament and him not actually understanding that it's something incredibly dangerous that has gotten people killed.

That night he had told her to ignore Ron when he talked about it, since he knew arguing wouldn't do much good against Ron, especially when he got in one of his moods. She had taken the advice to heart and hadn't started an argument with Ron about the tournament for the past two weeks, something he could see was bothering her tremendously.

Harry knew that she knew he was right and Ron wouldn't change his mind, but there was a part of Hermione that couldn't help but want to correct people all the time, a part of her that Harry found adorable even if it was slightly exasperating… it was just so Hermione… she wouldn't be Hermione if she wasn't bossy like that. He was actually surprised she had taken his advice to heart, he was sure she would ignore it and continue to pester Ron about the dangers of the tournament.

"Right mate?" Ron's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Um… sure mate." Harry answered, knowing from experience that Ron wouldn't hear him out either on his thoughts of the dangers of the tournament.

"Come on, let's go to the common room. We can have a game of chess." Ron told Harry while standing up.

Before Harry could respond to his friend, Pigwidgeon crashed onto Ron's plate, effectively splattering food at all the members of the trio.

"Bloody bird's a menace!" Ron said as he was removing the letter from Pigwidgeon's leg, after he wiped the dollop of ketchup that had landed across his nose.

Harry and Hermione, who wiped their faces with tissues, thankfully avoided the worst of the spatter.

He sat down and began reading the letter. After a couple of minutes he finally let out a sigh of relief.

"What's it say, Ron?" Hermione asked, closing her book and placing it in her bag.

"It's from mum, it's about Percy's trial."

Harry had forgotten all about Percy during these past month and a half at Hogwarts. After he was accused as the person who cast the dark mark at the Quidditch World Cup, because it was his wand that cast the spell, he was promptly fired from his job at the ministry and had a trial scheduled for a couple of days ago.

"Is everything ok?" Hermione asked gently. Harry knew that even though she considered Percy extremely pompous and filled with self-importance, he knew she had been worried about him.

"Yeah, he was found innocent during his trial, something that isn't a surprise since we know that Percy lost his wand before the commotion, but according to this letter from mum he's still out of a job after the ministry refused to hire him back."

Harry was about to exclaim about how unfair that was, especially knowing what he knew about the Death Eaters that worked at the ministry, but was interrupted by a voice he hadn't heard at all since he entered the castle on September 1st.

"Your brother lost his job, Weaselby? How is your family going to pay for food when they keep losing their jobs."

"Shove off, Malfoy." Ron spat.

Malfoy ignored him and sat down beside him, his two goons flanking him from behind.

"You could enter the tournament Weasel, after all 10,000 galleons should be enough to buy your whole family at this point. Not that you could have any shot at actually being chosen as a champion, or even surviving the tournament for that matter."

"I doubt you could enter Malfoy, even if you were of age. After all, your daddy isn't here to pay off the judge that will choose the champions." Hermione stated matter-of-factly

Draco turned to look at her, his expression murderous, "How dare you talk to me, you filthy mudblood!."

Harry was about to explode at Malfoy but then he felt Hermione's hand on top of him, gripping it tightly under the table signaling that she could handle it on her own. He knew that of course, that didn't change the fact that he wanted to pummel Malfoy for how he spoke to Hermione.

"Oh, hello Professor Moody." Hermione said cheerfully while looking behind Crabbe and Goyle.

Immediately as she said it Malfoy leapt from the bench and walked backwards until he saw Moody wasn't there.

"Twitchy little ferret, aren't you Malfoy?"

Malfoy snarled at Hermione in response.

"Come on boys, we don't want to sully ourselves by being seen with filthy company."

And with that the trio of Slytherins left.

Harry sat a moment stunned in silence, then he looked at Hermione who was primly munching on her toast. Slowly and incredulously, he processed what just happened and then cheekily turned to his best friend who was now taking a sip of her cup of tea,

"Miss Granger, did you, the person who has told us off for making fun of Malfoy when he was turned into a ferret while he was bullying some first years, use that to taunt him?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Mr Potter." Hermione replied without looking at him breezily as she buttered her toast...

Harry wanted to kiss her there and then, like he had never wanted to before, but reminded himself where they were. He loved this side of Hermione, the prim and proper Ms Granger's playful and mischievous side rarely came out to play; but when it did she was incredible.

He was going to continue their little game but saw Ron's face and decided it wasn't the right moment to do so.

"Don't listen to Malfoy, Ron. You know he's only trying to get a rise out of you."

"I just hate that he always uses my family's money to taunt me! I hate being poor, life would be so much better if I had money like you do, Harry."

Harry immediately stiffened at that remark and he instantly felt Hermione's hand on him, not to stop him but to comfort him. Obviously Hermione managed to understand what Harry thought about when Ron mentioned that.

"No Ron, it really wouldn't." Harry said monotonously.

"Yeah, whatever. Come on, let's go play chess."

Ron stood up and Harry and Hermione followed from behind, with Harry immediately missing the warmth Hermione's hand always brought him. They hadn't done much hand holding since what he thought of as their date, but he was surprised at how much he'd thought about holding her hand these past few weeks. It was an addiction for him, she could communicate so much to him while holding his hand.

They entered the common room and saw it was mostly empty, with many of the people at Hogwarts out in the grounds while it was still warm enough to enjoy the autumn mornings outside.

Harry and Ron took a table near Hermione's favourite armchair and began playing chess. As much as he loved spending time with Ron, he hated playing chess. It seemed like there was no way to beat Ron, everything he tried always failed, but since he knew Ron enjoyed it he never complained about it.

After five straight losses, he saw Hedwig arrive at the window while carrying a big package. He immediately stood up, opened the window, and took the package and note from Hedwig's leg. He read the note before opening the package.

_Open this when you're completely alone_

_Moony and Padfoot_

Harry was intrigued by the package but decided not to open it and follow the older Marauder's orders. He looked up and saw Hermione and Ron looking at him expectantly.

"It's just a book I asked Sirius for training." With that, Ron shrugged and sat back down but Hermione continued to stare at him before she spoke.

"Don't you have enough books for your training."

Harry just shrugged in response and found the perfect opening to see what the two Marauder's gave him.

"Speaking of training, I should get going if I want to finish by lunch."

"Are you serious! Training on a Saturday!?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Harry, are you sure you aren't over exerting yourself. Remember you promised Sirius not to do so." Hermione asked him, her eyes and voice filled with concern for him and it thrilled him to be the recipient of her care though he felt a little guilty about distressing her.

"I'm fine, Hermione. Really. I'll see you two at lunch." And with that he began walking toward the room.

This wasn't the first time he'd argued with Ron and Hermione about his training. For one he needed it to learn, he had promised himself he wasn't going to be humiliated like he was by Malfoy almost two months ago. But he was actually beginning to enjoy his training.

Learning Potions was extremely tedious and he decided to stop actually brewing them in the room after the second week. He would just read ahead and do his best during class. It's not like he was going to brew a potion while in battle so that was the most useless subject for now.

Transfiguration and Charms were different. He'd managed to include some of those subjects to his dueling style so learning them wasn't actually as boring as he thought they would be. Especially after learning spells like the summoning charm, which made life way easier and helped him in battle.

Defense was the subject he'd enjoyed the most. He had read about many different curses, jinxes, and defense spells that he thought were extremely useful, but he'd decided on focusing on only a handful of spells while practicing dueling, not that the other curses and jinxes he learned were useless. He had begun compiling a small book of the ones he thought were the most useful and how he managed to learn them. He thought of it as his own spell book which he read some nights before sleeping.

But by far the best part was dueling, the room was amazing at providing different scenarios with different layouts, and different enemies with different fighting styles. He'd begun to enjoy dueling, the adrenaline of it all, the thrill of the chase and everything. It made him feel alive. He found that he loved it when he was in those types of situations since he couldn't actually be killed in the room.

The life or death aspect was kind of a deal breaker in real life, but when he thought about it he always enjoyed being in high adrenaline situations. He'd always done that, whether it be small things like how he used to leave all the homework until the end and seeing if he was fast enough to complete them, much to Hermione's chagrin, or even all the stunts he did during Quidditch games.

He loved the moments of adrenaline, and training against the room's dummies made him be able to enjoy it while improving on dueling.

He reached the room and instead of asking for his usual training room, he asked for the room that gave him access to the old Marauder hideout. When he reached it he laid down on the pillows and blankets that still held Hermione's scent, a combination of vanilla mixed with old parchment, a scent that just screamed Hermione and a scent that he absolutely loved.

Inhaling deeply that beautiful scent, he smiled and opened the package only to find what looked like an old, black journal. It had no title and when he opened it the pages were empty. A part of Harry wanted to burn it with fiendfyre since it eerily reminded him of Tom Riddle's old diary, but this book didn't have that feeling to it.

He quickly picked up the note and tried reading it again to see if there were some hidden hints that he missed but he saw nothing weird about it. Knowing there was definitely something hidden in this book he tried the only thing he attributed to the marauder's. Pointing his wand at the cover of the book he spoke clearly.

"I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good."

Slowly, large, golden letters appeared on the cover of the book that spelled _The Marauder's Grimoire_. Opening the book Harry saw a small table of contents with three main sections - Pranks, Defense, and Academic.

Harry was amazed by the book and was just about to begin browsing when the mirror inside his pocket began warming up. He grabbed it, picked up the call, and saw the two Marauders with identical grins looking expectantly at Harry.

"So it finally arrived?" Sirius asked hopefully.

Harry nodded before speaking. "Sirius, what is this?"

" _ **That**_ Harry," Remus began. "Is the result of our collective, seven years work of experiments. In there you'll find a lot of potions and spells we designed. There are a few pages at the end with spells and potions that aren't actually ours, but we used them enough to add them there."

"At the beginning of our seventh year we created the book based on all our personal notes. There are even some spells and potions that we worked on personally, without help, that we decided to add. We created this with the intention of passing it on to the next generation of the Marauders but…" Sirius stopped but the meaning was clear to Harry.

This was the first time he actually considered how the events of nearly thirteen years ago affected Sirius and Remus. They lost their opportunities to settle down, get married, have kids. By how things were going, Harry was sure that he would be the only heir to the original marauders.

"I… thank you." Was all Harry managed to say

Both Marauders shrugged at that. "It's yours Harry. As long as you continue the Marauder legacy you can keep it." Sirius finished with a smirk.

The three men shared a laugh before Harry spoke up again.

"So… do you have any personal favourites I should be aware of?"

The identical grins the two Marauders shared could only be described as feral.

* * *

It was a week later when a heavily bruised Harry stepped out of the room after a particularly grueling training session on a Saturday afternoon. He had the amazing idea of upping the difficulty on the dummies and took four of them at the same time. That, of course ended with Harry on the ground after losing. He had managed to take out three of them, after a couple of hits with low level bone breaker and cutting curses, but the fourth one took him by surprise and effectively ended the round by disarming him.

Even though these dummies were nowhere near the level Malfoy showed during their encounter, Harry felt that by trying to go against more than one opponent it would help him improve in a one on one battle since it would enhance his reflexes and attack speed, and he was rather proud by the progress he felt he was making after nearly two months of going against an actual opponent.

Mentally berating himself for thinking that he could up the difficulty this soon in his school year, he almost missed the voice calling out to him.

"Oi Potter! Wait up!"

Harry turned around to see a sprinting Cedric Diggory making his way towards him. When he reached him the older boy began analyzing him, making Harry feel self conscious of his current state. He knew that he had a bruised lip and a small cut on his jaw.

"You ok, Potter?" Cedric's concerned voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Oh, yeah. Don't worry about it. I just… er…. I fell."

"You fell?" Cedric's voice betrayed the fact that he didn't believe him at all.

"You needed me for something?" Harry said, ignoring the topic he really didn't want to get into.

"Oh, well, I was headed to the pitch and was wondering if you wanted to come with me."

"The pitch?"

"Yeah… didn't Angelina tell you?"

"Umm… I've been… er... studying all day so I haven't seen her. What was she supposed to tell me?"

"Come on, follow me and I'll tell you on the way."

The two began walking and after a few seconds Cedric began speaking.

"So, since there will be no Quidditch this year, there were a few older years that weren't exactly pleased with that so a couple of us decided to create a small Quidditch game before the other schools arrived. For old times sake, you know?"

"Yeah," Harry said happily, he was going to miss Quidditch and was glad that at least he would be able to have one game before the whole tournament thing started. "So, it's only going to be one game?" When Cedric nodded he continued. "But there are four houses."

"Ah, but this won't be a game between houses. We decided to have two team Captains and for them to create their team with the players from last year and a few hopefuls. I'll be a captain and Roger Davis will be the other one."

"So there might not be a chance I'll play." Harry said dejectedly, remembering how no one ever chose him at sports when he was at school with Dudley.

"Fat chance at that, Potter. You're by far the best seeker of the school."

"I'm not as good as you. You did beat me last year."

"Only because of the dementors." Harry was about to protest but was interrupted by Cedric. "Just take the bloody compliment, Potter. Besides, at your age I wasn't as good as you, but I digress. I'm sure Davies will choose you as his seeker. The only reason I'm not choosing you is because I'm already the team's seeker"

As Cedric said this the two were reaching the stadium and Harry could hear a lot of voices. Looking at the stands he saw that they were packed.

"Umm… Cedric?"

"Yeah?"

"You said only a couple of people organized this..."

"True, but you know Hogwarts," He said with a fond smile. "It's impossible to keep a secret."

They walked in silence to the middle of the pitch where Harry saw a conglomeration of about thirty people, all from different houses, standing in the middle.

"You're finally here, Diggory. And I see you found Potter." Davies said when the two arrived at the center of the pitch. Harry saw all of the Gryffindor team huddled together and went to join them.

Cedic ignored Davies as he stepped inside the circle where all the other players surrounded a small podium. Placing his wand on his neck he began speaking, his voice amplified so that the whole stadium could listen.

"Hello and welcome to the first, and hopefully not last, unofficial game of Quidditch of the 1994 - 1995 year. Right now we're just going to select the teams, the game will start in a little bit less than half an hour. Before we begin the selection, we'd like to thank Madam Hooch for agreeing to referee the game." He said and gave the flying professor a small nod which she reciprocated.

Davies stepped into the podium and grabbed a galleon from his pocket before placing his wand on his neck and continuing for Cedric. "I'll give you the choice, Diggory. Heads or Dragons?"

"Dragon." Cedric replied instantly

Davies flipped the coin and let it land on the ground.

"Heads!" Davies exclaimed and Harry could hear the crowd cheering.

"Potter! With me!" Davies said immediately followed by the cheers and applause from the crowd. Harry was stunned that he was chosen first, this had never happened when he was with Dudley. It took a not so gentle nudge from Fred to walk up to Davies's side.

"Picking a seeker against me, Davies? Bad move." Cedric stated with a grin.

"Well, I couldn't let you pick him as a backup, now could I Diggory? We both know that he's the best seeker in the school."

Cedric stepped forward and whispered to Davies, his voice still audible to Harry. "I was actually planning on that, just don't tell Cho she wasn't my first choice."

The three of them laughed before Cedric picked next.

"Fleet!"

The Hufflepuff keeper stepped next to Cedric and gave him a high five.

"Page!"

Like his Hufflepuff counterpart, the Ravenclaw keeper walked up and ended up on the other side of Davies.

"Johnson!"

Angelina gave Harry a small smile before she stepped up beside Cedric.

"Weasley!"

When both Fred and George began walking towards Davies he immediately stopped them.

"Fred!"

Fred proceeded to walk up to Davies and high fived Harry in the process.

"You aren't seriously going to think I'm letting you have both Weasleys, are you?"

"A guy can hope, Ced." Davies replied

"Unfortunately, that's the only thing you'll be able to do. George!"

Immediately George rushed towards Angelina, gave her a hug, and lifted her up while twirling. The whole stadium laughed at his antics.

"Spinnet!"

Alicia began walking towards them and when she spotted Fred's maniacal grin she stopped and raised her finger accusingly at the twin.

"Don't you dare Frederich Weasley or-"

Alicia never got to finish as Fred rushed to her and proceeded to do the same thing his twin did only a couple of moments ago, much to the crowds's amusement.

"If that's all…" Cedric continued after Fred was done. "Bell!"

Katie walked towards her team and gave Harry a wink as she did.

"Bole!" Davies called out and the Slytherin beater joined them.

"Flint!" The Slytherin captain slowly walked up to Cedric's team.

"Stretton!" Davies called out to his teammate who rushed to join him

"Rickett!" Cedric's teammate also rushed towards his team as soon as his name was called out.

Throughout all of this, the crowd was cheering, clapping, and in general making a rackett. Harry tried to look for his bushy haired best friend and easily spotted her with Ron and the rest of their yearmates. Harry was also surprised when he spotted a couple of professors sitting on the stands, with even Dumbledore coming to see the game.

"Now for backups!" Davies exclaimed while looking at the crowd. "McLaggen!"

An upper year Harry had seen many times in the tower but never actually spoken to strutted pompously towards Davies, shaking his hand with the fakest smile Harry had ever seen.

"Applebee!" One of the Hufflepuff's chasers walked towards Cedric's team.

"Montague!" Shouted Davies and the teen in question joined his Slytherin compatriot in Davies's team.

"Bletchley!" Slytherin's keeper joined Cedric's team.

"Samuels!" Davies called out to one of his beaters who joined him.

"Cho!" Cedric said softly to his girlfriend with a dimpled smile, who skipped towards him and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"We'll be back in ten minutes to start the game." Cedric canceled the sonorus charm and continued only to the players, with the ones that weren't picked, a disgruntled Malfoy with them, moving towards the stands. "My team will wear purple while yours wears pink."

Davies nodded and everyone went to their respective changing rooms. Harry changed out of his clothes to his scarlet Gryffindor jersey and grabbed his firebolt. Before he stepped out he asked Fred to change the color from his jersey, changing the scarlet to a pink, but keeping the Gryffindor symbol proudly on his chest.

"Just cast a quick finite after the game and it'll be back to normal." Fred told him and Harry nodded his thanks before stepping out.

Once he was on the pitch he couldn't help but inhale the fresh scent of the pitch, basking in the crowd's excitement. He'd missed this, while he didn't enjoy the attention Quidditch gave him, he couldn't help but love the feeling it produced in him. He felt his heart beginning to race as the adrenaline started to be unleashed in his system.

"So, ready to lose Potter?" A voice he hadn't heard a lot this year but missed asked him. He turned around and saw Katie Bell smirking at him.

Katie was the person who he hung out with the most during his Quidditch practices and games. Since both of them were the youngest players in the team, they hit it off pretty quickly and always had a great time, often at the expense of the others on the team.

While Oliver was always on his own planning for games, and Fred and George were always trying to woo Angelina and Alicia, Harry and Katie built a strong bond between them. He couldn't imagine being in the Gryffindor team without her being there, laughing at their teammates's antics and competing as to who would do better in a game.

"Don't think I'm going to let you win just because you winked at me, Bell."

"Please, as if we needed you to give us a chance. We have the better team." She replied mischievously.

"No, you have the better offense, we have a decent defense and apparently, from what I've heard, the best seeker in the school."

"I'd tell you to not let it get to your head but I can see I'm already too late."

They shared a small laugh at that.

"Still, I'm sure we'll be up by over a hundred and fifty points by the time you catch the snitch."

Harry raised an eyebrow at his teammate. "Wanna bet?"

Katie gave him a predatory smile as her eyes sparkled with a devilish glint. "Ok then. If my team wins, you have to kiss Hermione and finally admit your feelings for her."

Harry blushed a little at the image his mind creating of him and Hermione snogging but tried to continue as if nothing had happened even as his heart thundered at the very notion. "I think you don't get the concept of bets. If I lose I'm supposed to do something I don't want to do."

"Oh, I don't think you understood me correctly, Potter. If you lose, you have to outright snog Hermione's brains out during the match's after-party with everyone watching." She replied giving him an impish smile.

Now that is something Harry didn't want. Not that he didn't want to snog Hermione's brains out. No, he didn't want to do it in front of the whole common room. For one, he hated being the center of attention, he also had no experience kissing and didn't want to exhibit that to all of his classmates. All of this ignoring that Hermione would probably hex and berate him for snogging in public, at least he knows it with a certainty somehow she wouldn't appreciate their very first kiss being so public. All in all, it wasn't something Harry was actually looking forward to, but he couldn't back up now. But looking at Katie he wondered if he could turn the tables or at least get the girl to change the stakes, and gave her a wicked smile,

"Ok… but if I win, you have to snog Lee's brains out in front of the whole common room during the party and finally tell him how you feel."

"Using my crush I confided to you in secret, Potter? _Low blow_." Said with a mock glare

"Don't play the victim card, Bell, you did the same to me with Hermione."

Katie's face broke into a smile, unable to maintain her glare. "True, but I'm not as obvious as you."

"I'm not obvious!" Harry replied indignantly

Katie placed her hand on his shoulder. "Keep telling yourself that, buddy."

Harry rolled his eyes at her. "So, do we have a deal?"

"If it will finally get you off your ass and make you kiss Hermione? Deal."

They shook hands and before Harry could speak again he felt someone grab his shoulders and push him away from Katie. "I need a word, Potter."

Harry turned around and found it was McLaggen who was pushing him away from his friend. After a couple of seconds he forcefully removed McLaggen's hand from his shoulder. He never liked strangers intruding his space or touching him and McLaggen might be a Gryffindor but he was still a stranger as far as Harry was concerned.

"What do you want?" He asked, his tone harsh. He didn't usually treat anyone so rudely if he could help it but this guy just annoyed him at sight. When he took no notice of the tone Harry had employed, Harry got even more sure of his assessment of the tosser.

"For you to introduce me to your friend Granger, of course." He replied with his stupid grin on his face.

Instantly Harry felt his heart trying to leap off his chest in anger. Trying to stop being jealous for probably nothing, he asked in the nicest voice he could, which still wasn't anywhere near nice.

"Why?"

"Well so I can date her of course." Harry wanted to punch the smirk of McLaggen's face. "She's filling out quite well, if she added a bit of makeup and shrunk those horrible front teeth she'd be quite fine. And you know what they say… it's always the quiet ones, right?" He finished with a wink as if he hadn't just objectified the most important girl in Harry's life.

_How dare he speak about Hermione like that. She doesn't wear any makeup because she doesn't need it. She already is incredibly pretty. And her front teeth aren't horrible, there's nothing wrong with them!_

Harry's insides were yelling but on the outside he was calm, even though he wanted to pummel the teen in front of him, regardless that he was bigger than him. But decided that was not the way to play it, he couldn't play the jealous boyfriend, or best friend in his case, card, he would only look back.

No, he couldn't do that. He couldn't rush in head first like the Gryffindor he was. He felt his Marauder side and his _Slytherin_ side, and at this point he didn't know which was which, begging to be let free and let them play. And so he did.

After a couple of seconds he had a plan in mind that would be so simple and effective, he was sure Sirius would be proud. He began talking while discreetly pulling his wand out of the holster on his arm.

"Sure, McLaggen," He started with a smirk. "Why don't I introduce you now so that she can watch you during the game?"

"Really?" He asked with genuine surprise in his voice. "So the rumours aren't true. You're not after Granger?"

Harry couldn't help himself, it wasn't part of the plan but he just couldn't stop himself from blurting out the words.

"Oh, I never said that." Harry said while smirking

"Then why are you introducing me to her?" The bugger was genuinely curious.

"Because McLaggen," Harry said while his smirk turned into a feral grin. "You're not a threat to me. You're not even close"

While McLaggen's face was turning purple, with an obvious rage at Harry's words, he never noticed the spell he cast almost silently at McLaggen. This was one of the first spells he'd found on the Marauder Grimoire, and a spell that Sirius himself recommended very highly, even telling him how his dad used it on those people who tried to woo his mother. So simple, yet so brilliant. The Rotten-Egg-Breath Spell.

 _Showtime,_ Harry thought to himself. "Come on."

And with that Harry flew his broom towards the stands where Hermione was. Sitting next to her was Lavender and Parvati with Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Dean sitting on the back seat.

Just before he arrived, Hermione leapt from her seat.

"Harry!" She beamed at him.

"Hey you!" Harry said, leaping off his broom and joining her on the stands. Driven by some instincts he didn't quite understand but wholly gave into, he walked up to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek as he stood beside her, his hand on her shoulder as he noticed from the corner of his eye a lovely shade of pink blooming on Hermione's cheeks at his actions as she leaned against him. Finally, he turned to McLaggen who was watching from his broom and spoke.

"Hermione, I'd like you to introduce you to my _dear_ teammate, Cornac McLeggon." Harry told Hermione, his eyes never leaving McLaggen.

Harry heard Lavender and Parvati giggle from behind him, and he did his best not to laugh outright at McLaggen's furious expression.

"Cormac McLaggen," He stated. "It's a pleasure, Granger." He said and Harry could already smell the horrible breath he'd cursed McLaggen with. Doing his best not to lose it right then and there he turned to Hermione.

"I guess I'll leave you two to get acquainted." He said and his heart started to do somersaults at Hermione's pleading expression, clearly hoping he would stay with her, or at least sent McLaggen far away from her. "Don't worry, I'll be right back. I just need to speak with Ron for a second." He whispered in her ear, his lips brushing the tender flesh and even as he heard Hermione's sharp intake of breath, electricity buzzed through his veins at the contact and her reaction to his briefest touch. His stomach flip-flopping knowing he affects her just as much as she affects him. He turned to look at his first friend. "Mate," He said, nodding to an empty spot on the stands.

The two of them left the girls and as soon as he placed the privacy charms and was out of view he began laughing uproariously, much to Ron's confusion.

"What the bloody hell are you laughing about!? You just left Hermione with a clearly interested McLaggen! Are you mental!?"

That only set Harry off even more and it took him about half a minute before he could finally speak.

"Don't worry, Ron. I've got it all planned out. Please take a look at the girls and I'll bet you ten galleons that Hermione has a disgusted face."

Ron stood up from their crouching spot and turned to look. After a couple of moments he returned.

"How did you know that?" Ron asked with an incredulous expression on his face.

"I knew of McLaggen's intentions towards Hermione and made sure it didn't get past this. Not that I don't trust Hermione to know what an asshole the guy is, but what I did just makes sure he doesn't have a pleasant day for pissing me off." Harry said with a feral smile on his face.

"What did you do?" Ron asked intrigued.

"I used a spell created by the Marauders that makes someone's breath smell like rotten eggs."

Ron didn't look impressed at that. "Ermm… Harry… you do know that there's a breath freshening charm, right?"

Harry's grin turned even more predatory, something that made Ron gulp audibly. "You didn't think the Marauders would be foiled by something as basic as that, did you? If you use the breath freshening charm, the smell only gets worse and lasts longer." His expression turned into a hopeful one. "Please tell me he's tried using the breath freshening charm."

"Not that I could see." Ron shrugged.

After a minute or two he spoke up, "Come on, Hermione doesn't deserve this torture."

Both boys stood up from their small spot hidden by the stands and walked towards three girls with revolting expressions and a clearly annoyed McLaggen.

"Hey, I'm back." He said to Hermione, once again wrapping his arm around her shoulders and letting her lean slightly against him.

Harry let a smirk adorn his face, something which made McLaggen scowl. He saw that everyone was getting into position and turned to Hermione.

"Duty calls, do I get a good luck kiss, my lady?" Harry said with a confidence he never knew he could have.

Hermione gave him a lingering kiss only a few centimeters away from his lips and proceeded to whisper "Good luck." In his ear which made his insides shudder pleasantly.

Harry smiled at her and bowed to the three girls. "Ladies..."

He climbed his broom and winked at McLaggen. "You should probably get going as well, McLaggon."

The older teen just grunted a response before he left and Harry flew to his place on the field while McLaggen flew towards his spot with the reserves.

He saw Katie near him on the other side of the field and he shouted at her. "Remember our bet, Bell!"

"Don't worry, Potter! I'll make sure you keep up your end of the bargain when you lose!"

Harry just rolled his eyes at his teammate but couldn't stop the smile appearing on his face. He turned around and saw Fred and Alicia smiling at their antics with George and Angelina doing the same on the other side of the field.

After a couple of moments he saw Roger and Cedric shaking hands.

"I want a clean game!" Madam Hooch said as she always does during the Quidditch Games. She released the snitch and bludgers, with neither Harry nor Cedric opting in trying to follow the snitch, knowing it would be futile. Madam Hooch grabbed the Quaffle and released it into the air, and the game began.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WELCOME TO THE FIRST UNOFFICIAL GAME OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. SINCE THE SCHOOL WAS STUPID ENOUGH TO CANCEL QUIDDITCH, THE STUDENTS HAD TO MAKE SURE WE DON'T FORGET WHY WE COME TO HOGWARTS. NOT BECAUSE OF CLASSES, NOT BECAUSE OF THE CASTLE, NOT EVEN BECAUSE OF THE GORGEOUS GIRLS LIKE THE THREE GRYFFINDOR CHASERS,"

"Jordan!" McGonagal's voice made Harry crack up while he was moving around the pitch watching the game.

"BUT BECAUSE OF QUIDDITCH!" Harry heard the crowd go crazy at Lee's affirmation.

"GETTING INTO THE GAME, DIGGORY'S TEAM HAS THE QUAFFLE, KATIE PASSES TO ANGELINA WHO DODGES A BLUDGER FROM HER GRYFFINDOR TEAMMATE FRED AND PASSES TO FLINT WHO'S NEAR SHOOTING RANGE. AND HE'S GOING TO- WAIT NO, IT WAS A FAKE OUT, HE PASSED TO KATIE WHO SCORES! PURPLE 10 NIL!"

Katie flew towards Harry, stuck out her tongue, and shouted back at Harry. "I'd be preparing if I were you, Potter."

"ALICIA HAS POSSESSION AND MAKES HER WAY THROUGH THE PITCH. SHE DIVES, DODGING A BLUDGER IN THE PROCESS, AND PASSES TO DAVIES! DAVIES IMMEDIATELY PASSES TO STRETTON BUT IT'S INTERCEPTED BY ALICIA. SHE MAKES HER WAY THROUGH THE PITCH, PASSES TO THE BEAUTIFUL KATIE, KATIE TO FLINT AND HE SCORES. TWENTY NIL PURPLE!"

Harry sighed, he really didn't want to lose. He needed to find the snitch fast. He began searching profusely through the pitch, hearing Lee's amplified voice.

"I HAVE TO BE HONEST, SEEING THE SNAKES-"

"Jordan!"

"WHAT PROFESSOR? YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE. SEEING THEM ACTUALLY PLAYING WELL WITH THEIR TEAMMATES FROM OTHER HOUSES IS SURPRISING. IT CLEARLY SHOWS HOW MUCH WE'VE BEEN NEEDING QUIDDITCH! SPEAKING OF SNAKES-

"Jordan, I'm warning you!

"COME ON PROFESSOR, I'M NOT EVEN BEING BIASED. I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE PROUD OF ME!"

"The only reason you're not biased is because both teams have the same amounts of Gryffindors on the pitch! Now get on with commenting or I'll find someone else to replace you!"

"WELL FOLKS, YOU HEARD THE PROFESSOR AND I WANT TO KEEP MY JOB. ANGELINA PASSES TO KATIE, BUT KATIE HAS TO DODGE A BLUDGER FROM BOLE AND THE QUAFFLE GETS INTERCEPTED BY DAVIES. DAVIES DODGES A BLUDGER FROM GEORGE AND PASSES TO STRETTON. STRETTON SHOOTS AND SCORES! PURPLE THIRTY TO TEN!"

Harry did his best to tune out all of Jordan's commentary and focus solely on the snitch. He needed his full attention to be on the game. It was nearly thirty minutes later that he decided to focus on the game after having no luck with the snitch.

"ALICIA INTERCEPTS FROM FLINT AFTER A WELL PLACED BLUDGER. RICKETT SENDS A BLUDGER TO TRY AND STOP HER BUT ALICIA MANAGES TO EVADE IT AND PASSED IT TO STRETTON. STRETTON NEARS THE SHOOTING RANGE AND FLIES PAST IT. FLEET FLIES TOWARDS HIM AND STRETTON PASSES BACK TO DAVIES WHO SCORES ON THE OPEN LEFT HOOK! PURPLE ONE HUNDRED AND TEN TO FORTY!"

 _One hundred and ten to forty!_ Harry was beginning to panic but stopped himself. He still had plenty of time to catch the snitch, but Cedric was going to be a problem. With him being an amazing seeker, Harry needed to get him out of the game. He didn't want to chance the win with how bad his team was performing against the other. If he could only get Cedric out of the game, the team would not only lose their seeker, but also their captain.

 _But how!? It's not like I'm going to knock him off of his broom, I don't play like that._ He thought about what to do for a couple of minutes while he was looking for the snitch when suddenly he got an idea from the Quidditch World Cup.

_The Wronski Feint! It was perfect! But also extremely hard to pull off, especially after not having played Quidditch!_

_Do you want to risk Hermione hexing your balls off, Potter?_

_Fine! But will Cedric even buy it? He was also there at the World Cup!_

_There's only one way to find out, isn't there?_

Harry began preparing, after a couple of minutes he finally placed himself directly in Cedric's peripheral view and there was only one thought that went to his mind before he plunged downward. _Of all the idiotic ideas you could have come up with, you came up with this one._

Harry darted forwards to catch Cedric's attention, and as soon as he did he heard Lee's voice and felt as the game stopped and everyone watched.

"POTTER DARTS FORWARD, HE'S SPOTTED THE SNITCH. DIGGORY'S CLOSE BEHIND HIM. POTTER DIVES AND DIGGORY FOLLOWS. COME ON POTTER! YOU CAN DO IT CATCH THE SNITCH!

"Jordan!"

Harry feels the adrenaline coursing through his veins, everything is moving in slow motion, his heart is beating at a pace it hadn't reached since his fight against the basilisk. He's so close to the ground and abruptly starts pulling up with Lee's booming voice the only thing he can focus on.

"POTTER IS REACHING INCREDIBLY CLOSE TO THE GROUND! HE'S GOING TO CRASH! NO! HE PULLS UP AT THE FINAL SECOND BUT DIGGORY ISN'T AS LUCKY, HE TRIED TO PULL UP BUT WAS A SECOND TOO LATE AND CRASHES ON THE GROUND.

As soon as he managed to evade the ground he cried out in joy and turned to look back, exactly at the moment where the tail of Cedric's broom crashed with the ground, sending Cedric flying a couple of meters and landing on his arms. With Hooch rushing to his side.

"WAIT, WHY DID POTTER STOP?" After a couple of moments, Harry heard Lee's voice filled with recognition. "POTTER NEVER SPOTTED THE SNITCH. HE PULLED A PLAY OUT OF KRUM'S BOOK FROM THE WORLD CUP. THE SLY BASTARD JUST USED THE WRONSKI FEINT ON DIGGORY!" Lee finished with a booming laugh.

"Jordan! Don't curse, there are kids watching!"

"I'M SORRY PROFESSOR," Replied Lee, sounding anything but sorry. "BUT THAT WAS BLOODY BRILLIANT!"

While this was happening Harry flew over to Cedric, dismounted his broom, and offered him a hand which he took and Harry helped him up.

"So, a Wronski Feint, Potter?" Cedric asked, his voice without a trace of malice. "I have to say I'm impressed. For a second I thought it might be, but I didn't think you were crazy enough to try it."

Harry smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Desperate times, Diggory. You're pummeling us out there." Both shared a laugh before Harry spoke again. "Are you ok?"

"Sure, just a broken arm, nothing Madam Pomfrey can't fix, and speak of the devil."

Harry turned to where Cedric was looking and spotted Madams Pomfrey and Hooch rushing at them, with Hooch on a broom while Pomfrey wasn't. This was when Harry noticed that the game had stopped and everyone was watching them.

"Mr Potter, that was the most dangerous stunt I've ever seen on this quidditch pitch!" Pomfrey scolded Harry before turning to Cedric. After reassuring that he only had a broken arm she breathed a sigh of relief. ""Well, it seems you were lucky Mr Diggory, you only have broken bones which can be easily fixed. I'll need you to accompany me to the infirmary."

"Sure," Cedric grunted out, the adrenaline in his system clearly disappearing allowing the pain to replace it. "I'll just need to make a couple of changes and a time out. Give me five minutes and I'm all yours."

Madam Pomfrey just huffed and began walking away, muttering about Quidditch crazed boys which made both Harry and Cedric chuckle. Madam Hooch called a quick timeout and Harry went to where his team was huddling.

After the whole team praised him for his move and told him to just keep doing the same, Harry decided to go to the stands where his friends were seated while he waited for the time out to end. But as soon as he got there he regretted it when Hermione pulled him aside from everyone.

"Are you insane!? Do you have a death wish!?" Hermione scolded him and Harry could only chuckle at the irony that he did this so that Hermione wouldn't scold him in the future. He also thought she looked rather cute while angry, something that made him smile involuntarily and caused Hermione to get even madder. "Do you think this is a joke!? You could have died!"

That was the moment something clicked in Harry. She was scolding him like that because she'd been terrified for him, she thought she was about to lose him and this is how she was trying to make sure that he never does something as stupid as that again. A pang of guilt erupted inside of Harry. Realizing this, he immediately hugged her, and she reciprocated with ferocity.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm here. I'm fine." He repeatedly whispered his reassurances in her ear to try and calm her down. After a minute he pulled back and saw that she was still glaring at him.

"Don't. Do. That. Again. Potter." She said while poking his chest with every syllable.

He couldn't help but smile at her antics, he couldn't describe why but he loved it whenever she scolded him for being an idiot.

"Ok, I, Harry James Potter, won't do any more death defying stunts during this match." He promised in mock seriousness.

Hermione shook her head at him in mock disapproval but the effect didn't last as he saw the small quirk of her lips. He led her back to her place in the stands and proceeded to take off on his broom and reached the center of the pitch where the game began again.

With Cho being the new seeker of their team Harry wasn't really concerned so he began taking his time looking for the snitch. As he was listening to Lee's commentary he could immediately tell that Flint managed to take over Cedric pretty well, with them only struggling during the first few minutes but slowly regaining their pace.

It was twenty minutes later that Harry stopped looking for the snitch. During this time he saw that Cho had opted for not shadowing him, since he had the faster broom, and began taking the initiative at searching for the snitch, while trying to keep her distance from Harry. He stopped for a moment and decided to listen to the game once again.

"FLINT STEALS POSSESSION FROM DAVIES AFTER A WELL AIMED BLUDGER FROM RICKETT! FLINT PASSES TO ANGELINA WHO PASSES TO KATIE. KATIE SHOOTS BUT IS STOPPED BY FLEET! FLEET PASSES TO ALICIA, ALICIA MAKES HER WAY THROUGH THE PITCH AND PASSES TO STRETTON, HE MAKES HIS WAY THROUGH THE PITCH BUT THE QUAFFLE IS STOLEN BY ANGELINA. ANGELINA PASSES TO FLINT, FLINT SHOOTS A LONG SHOT AT A HOOP THAT A DISTRACTED PAGE IS UNABLE TO GUARD AND HE SCORES! PURPLE ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY TO SEVENTY!"

Harry hits his broom in frustration. Sure, the team had done much better since the time out, but it still wasn't enough to stop the purple team. He began looking at the match and spotted a glint of gold on one of Fleet's hoops. Without hesitation Harry rushed forward.

"ONCE AGAIN POTTER RUSHES FORWARD AND CHANG FOLLOWS HIM. THE LAST TIME POTTER DID THIS THE SLY BASTARD PULLED THE WRONSKI FEINT SO CHANG SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THAT. AFTER ALL, HER CLEANSWEEP IS NO MATCH FOR POTTER'S FIREBOLT!"

Harry reached the hoop and he spotted it, the golden snitch. The snitch thrusted upwards and Harry followed it, noting that Cho was trying to keep up with him but failing.

"POTTER PULLS UPWARDS, I THINK HE'S ACTUALLY SEEN THE SNITCH! THE TWO SEEKERS CHASE THE TINY GOLDEN BALL! POTTER SUDDENLY DARTS DOWNWARDS FOLLOWING THE SNITCH, HE BEGINS TO CHASE IT THROUGH THE PITCHE'S TOWERS!"

Harry was trying to reach but the snitch was always a little bit ahead of him. He puts everything he can and thrusts forward chasing the snitch through the middle of the field while the game is still going on.

"POTTER CHASES THE SNITCH AND MANAGES TO EVADE ONE- NO TWO, WAIT THREE, FOUR PLAYERS WITH QUICK TURNS AND CONTINUES TO CHASE AFTER THE SNITCH."

Out of the corner of his eye Harry sees George send a bludger in his direction but he decides to ignore it. As long as he catches the snitch he doesn't care if the bludger hit him.

"GEORGE SENDS A BLUDGER TO POTTER AND THE GRYFFINDOR SEEKER DOESN'T SEEM TO NOTICE OR HE DOESN'T SEEM TO CARE AS HE CONTINUES CHASING AT THE SNITCH WITHOUT PAYING ATTENTION TO THE INCOMING BLUDGER! THE BLUDGER IS SO CLOSE IT'S ABOUT TO-"

_CRASH!_

Harry heard a crash from a couple of feet beside him but ignored it, leaping forward on his broom and managing to grab the snitch with one hand while the other maintained his grip on his broom, which was the only reason why he didn't completely fall off his broom.

As he cries out in joy at getting the snitch, he actually begins to process what he heard Lee shout a couple of seconds ago.

"IT'S ABOUT TO- WAIT WHAT? JUST BEFORE THE BLUDGER WAS ABOUT TO COLLIDE WITH POTTER IT WAS INTERCEPTED BY A BLUDGER SENT BY FRED WEASLEY JUST A COUPLE OF FEET AWAY FROM POTTER'S HEAD. BUT THAT DOESN'T MATTER AS THE MADMAN OF A SEEKER SLIGHTLY LEAPS OFF OF HIS BROOM, GRABBING THE SNITCH AND ENDING THE GAME! PINK WINS TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY TO ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY!

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and began laughing as players from both teams reached him and started congratulating him in the air. After all of the players from the other houses congratulated him he was left with his team.

Immediately the three chasers hugged him tightly before Angelina pulled back and hit him in the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Why the hell didn't you try to dodge the bludger!" She snapped at him.

Harry shrugged and gave Katie a smile. "I guess I just didn't want to lose the game."

"You would have lost your head if it wasn't for Fred! No bet's worth that!" Now Katie snapped at him.

He was about to retort but the three death glares coming from the three chasers shut his retort. "Look, I'm sure Hermione's already going to scold me enough for this, can't you scold me tomorrow?"

Alicia huffed and the three chasers left while muttering about how stupid boys can be, leaving only the twins and Harry.

"Harry, I am so sor-"

"Don't, George," Harry interrupted. "I knew the risks when I chose not to dodge. Besides, I'm fine, Fred managed to save me just in time."

"That was luck. I didn't even know what I was doing when I sent the bludger." Fred replied with a smile.

Harry chuckled a bit at that. "Well, at least you're not scolding me."

"Us?"

"Scolding ickle Harrikins?"

"Why would we do that?"

"When we can send a letter to mum and she can scold you for us."

Harry's eyes widened even as his face immediately paled at the implications and the twins immediately laughed at him.

"Don't worry Harrikins,"

"We won't send mum a letter,"

"As long as you promise not to do anything that stupid again."

"After all,"

"We're supposed to be the ones that do crazy shit like that."

The three shared a laugh before Harry placed his hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine, fine. I won't do anything stupid like that again. I promise."

"You see Forge,"

"Yes, Gred I see."

"Why do girls waste their time scolding Harrikins,"

"When you can just threaten the scolding and it has a better result,"

"Without all of the effort."

And with that the twins left, leaving Harry to muster all of the Gryffindor courage he could and fly to the stands where he could see Hermione waiting there with Lavender, Parvati, Ron, and Neville.

When he reached the stands Ron and Neville began congratulating him and he saw that only made Hermione angrier. He cast Ron a look which he understood immediately and began pulling Neville as he tried to give Hermione and Harry space, with Lavender and Parvati following shortly behind them.

Hermione put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow expectantly at him.

"So… I know I promised no more death defying stunts today." Hermione just huffed in response and Harry took that as a good sign as he continued. "And I know you hate it whenever I do stuff like this one my Quidditch matches, so I'm really sorry for worrying you. But I really love the feeling I get when playing Quidditch, with all the danger that it entails. The most I can do is promise to try and not go too far like I did today."

Hermione did the last thing Harry expected, she gave a sad sigh.

"I know, Harry, I know how much you love Quidditch and I don't want to take that from you. I just get really worried watching you play. Not because I don't think you aren't able to handle yourself on the field, but because I feel so useless here in the stands, where I can't do anything if something goes wrong. I just don't want you to get hurt, and I know you'd react like I am reacting if it was the other way around. I care too much about you that it's impossible for me not to worry, just please promise me that you'll try and not take it too far like you did today."

Harry smiled at her, "I promise." She returned the smile and after a few seconds he spoke again. "I do have a peace offer, my lady."

"Oh, and pray tell, what is said peace offering?"

Harry grinned at her and showed her the snitch he'd been holding in his hand for the past few minutes. "This, my lady."

Hermione proceeded to grab the snitch and pretend to analyze it deeply. After a couple of moments she turned to look at him and smiled at him. "This is good enough. I accept your peace offering, you may leave, peasant."

"Peasant?" He asked, fighting a smile.

"Did I stutter, peasant?"

"I am no peasant, Lady Granger."

"Well," She inhaled deeply. "You do smell like one." She began laughing and Harry thought there was no sweeter sound than her laugh. He'd give her the world just to hear it again. "Why don't you go and take a shower and I'll meet you at the common room."

"I don't know, Hermione. I did win the game, don't I at least deserve a hug?" He asked with fake innocence.

Hermione's eyes widened at the implication.

"Don't you dare, Potter!" She said and began walking backwards to safety

But it was too late, for Harry had already leapt from his broom, and after settling it safely in one of the stands he began chasing her. It didn't take long for him to catch her and envelope her in a sweaty hug, making her yell protestations while trying to pull away from him, but to no avail as Harry relished having her in his arms as they both laughed even though they were struggling.

After a few moments when he was sure she smelled like he did, he pulled back, not yet releasing her from his arms.

"Yuck, I smell like a disgusting, quidditch fanatic." She said with a repulsed face.

"Now you also smell like a peasant." Harry smirked at her.

"Only because you contaminated me with your stench." She huffed, though he was sure she was trying her hardest not to smile.

"But you always love hugs." Harry added innocently.

"Not when they come from sweaty guys."

"I'll see you in the common room later, I'll go take my shower." Harry said after he released her while mounting his broom and feeling brazen even as he felt a stirring courtesy of the direction of his thoughts, he couldn't stop himself. "You should too."

Harry heard her huff as he made his way to the locker room. After saying goodbye to his teammates who were just leaving after their shower, he cast a quick finite on his uniform, returning it to its usual scarlet color before taking a shower.

Nearly forty five minutes later Harry was opening the portrait to the Gryffindor common room and was received by a giant party. He was about to cross the room to find Hermione but was stopped by two voices.

"Finally, he arrives."

"The man with no fear,"

"The madman of the hour,"

"The best seeker of the school,"

Harry interrupted the twins before they could continue.

"Fred, George. I see you're already having fun."

"Always Harrikins." Fred replied with a grin.

"Come on, we're having a team shot."

"Again? We did that at the World Cup!"

"And we'll continue doing them as long as there are over four of the original team in a party."

The twins led Harry to a small area near the center that was clearly dominated by the team, with Katie, Angelina, and Alicia sitting around a table filled with snacks, refreshments, and of course, firewhiskey.

"Ok girls,"

"We know you three still want to tear Harry a new one for acting like a madman in the game,"

"But this is a party!"

"Besides, we're sure that Hermione already berated Harry enough for the day."

"I don't know about that, she seemed all lovey dovey when she entered the common room after the match." Alicia said with a small smile on her face

"Well then Harry managed to do the impossible and avoid one of Hermione's famous scoldings!" Fred exclaimed.

"Either way, this is a night of celebration." George continued

"So…"

"Team shot!" Fred and George shouted at the same time.

Rolling their eyes at their antics, the three girls allowed Fred and George to serve them a shot each of firewhiskey.

"Gryffindor!" The whole team exclaimed at once and proceeded to down their shot, with Fred George, Angelina, and Alicia taking like it was nothing and Harry and Katie coughing for a good thirty seconds.

After they were done and the team separated, Harry raised his eyebrow at Katie.

"Fine! I guess you did win fair and square!"

"Remember, everyone has to watch!" Harry teased

She huffed in exasperation before walking towards Lee, who was talking to a small group of people. Harry saw from afar how Katie grabbed the teen from the collar of his shirt and pulled him into a passionate kiss that slowly but surely turned into a snogging session. The common room was filled with cheers, catcalls, and wolf whistles but that didn't affect the snogging couple at all.

Harry meanwhile was laughing uproariously as he saw Fred and George's jaws hit the floor at the sight. The twins turned their attention to him and immediately nudged him into a corner.

"Ok, spill" Fred said.

"Remember how Katie said we had a bet?"

When both twins nodded Harry continued, "If I won Katie had to snog Lee in front of everyone and finally tell him she fancies him."

Both twins laughed at Harry's revelation and the three turned to look at the couple who were still passionately snogging without a care in the world.

"And what would have happened if you lost, Harrikins?"

Harry blushed and was about to respond when he heard the voice he oh so loved speak.

"Lost what?"

Harry was doing an accurate representation of a deer in headlights and Fred and George decided to take pity on him.

"Hey Fred, don't we have that thing?"

"Yes George, we need to go over there and do that thing we needed to do."

"Right, let's go."

And with that the twins left the couple and Harry finally turned to look at Hermione and his jaw dropped at the sight. Hermione was standing there in front of him, but instead of wearing her usual nightwear, she was wearing one of Harry's quidditch jerseys which was too large for her and reached her thighs. He could also see her wearing some scarlet leggings that complimented the jersey fairly well and hugged her legs oh so beautifully. Her hair was still damp from the shower and a little straighter than usual, but still keeping it's untamable attitude.

To Harry, Hermione had never looked more beautiful than how she looked now. His mouth went dry as his eyes looked at her once again, top to bottom and noticed the scarlet blooming across her cheeks even as he felt hot.

Harry realized that he had been staring with his jaw on the floor for too long because Hermione began spluttering apologies.

"I'm sorry, I thought that you would like it if I wore one of your jerseys so I stole one from your trunk an-" Hermione was interrupted when Harry placed a finger on her lips.

"You look perfect." Harry said before blushing but continued nonetheless. "Keep it, it looks way better on you than it does on me." Begrudgingly he withdrew his hand, his finger tingling with the sensation the touch of her soft lips evoked.

"Well, I wouldn't say that. You look rather dashing in it." Both teens blushed but both had small smiles on their faces.

Hermione turned to look at Katie and Lee and gave a small laugh. "So Katie and Lee are finally a thing?"

Harry couldn't keep the shock out of his voice. "What..? How..?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Harry, you do remember I've been spending quite a lot of time with Lavender. There are few rumours that I don't know."

Both shared a laugh at that and proceeded to sit down on a couch near a lonely corner of the room where Hermione snuggled at Harry's side and he gave a sigh of contentment as he placed his arm around her shoulders.

Everything was perfect, for the first time in his life he was genuinely, actually happy. Even with the threat of Voldemort looming in the background he'd managed to have his best year at Hogwarts so far, and he was sure a big part of it was how he and Hermione had grown closer.

He felt Hermione lean her head and place it on the crook of his neck and he leaned his on top of her head inhaling the scent of her shampoo as her soft hair felt ticklish against his skin, a smile playing on his lips. From his seat he could see McLaggen trying to chat some girls up but failing miserably as the girls fled him, expressions of disgust clear on their faces. Harry gave a small chuckle at that.

Life was good.


	13. The Triwizard Tournament

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta-Read By Aani

He was eleven, watching as a troll was destroying the girls bathroom… He was twelve, ducking as Aunt Petunia aimed a heavy blow at his head with a frying pan… He was thirteen when he heard his mother's last moments as she laid down her life for him… He was fourteen, watching a figure in black robes torturing a man.

The last scene caused Harry to manage to break out of the legilimency attack from the Headmaster. He stood up, trying to ignore the pain coming from his knees and immediately sat down on the chair behind him and groaned in frustration.

"Harry?"

"I'm not getting any better!" Harry snapped at Dumbledore and immediately regretted it. "I just thought that after these two months I would have made some progress on our lessons."

"You shouldn't be hard on yourself Harry," Dumbledore said in an understanding tone. "For only having two months of lessons you're-"

"Doing better than what should be expected, I know. You tell me that all the time." Harry interrupted.

"Harry, this is an extremely hard subject to master. It took me over half a decade to become a master occlumence."

"Great, why don't we tell Voldemort to go on a five-year vacation so that I can have a chance at defending my mind." He spat out venomously.

Harry knew he was being an ass to Dumbledore but he really didn't care right now. Ever since that nightmare a couple of weeks ago, he began to have a really bad feeling that things were going to go to hell soon. With everything being as perfect as it was right now, Voldemort would make his move soon. It always seemed that he made his moves at the worst possible times.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Dumbledore's concern was clear in his voice.

"I'm fine, professor. Halloween's just getting to me." Harry lied.

"Ah, yes. I can see why this would be a difficult time for you."

Harry managed to contain his snort, barely. Last year he had come to the realization that Halloween was a cursed day for him. Halloween - the day his parents were killed, the day the person he cared for the most, even if he didn't know her at the time, was nearly killed by a troll, the day whole Chamber of Secrets incident started, and the day last year Sirius Black, the person who he at the time thought was a psychotic mass murderer sneaked into the school looking for him.

Yes, Halloween was definitely cursed for him.

Add to that the fact that he was expecting an attack from Voldemort anytime soon and he felt he had every right to be on edge at the moment.

Dumbledore continued a few seconds later when Harry didn't respond. "It's already past curfew. I think it's best to end our lesson here… tomorrow is a special day after all."

Harry couldn't contain his groan this time. "Sir, do I really have to be there for when the other schools arrive?"

"More time for training, Harry?" The boy in question flushed. "Don't think I haven't noticed your absence at some meals this past couple of weeks."

After the nightmare, he had gradually spent more time in the room training, much to Hermione and Ron's chagrin. Knowing Voldemort was on the move didn't help him in his attempts to try and balance his life with his training.

"Professor, we both know Voldemort's planning something. You can't really expect me to waste time I could use on training."

"Harry, you're still just a child. You shouldn't be worrying about training or Voldemort right now." Dumbledore said in what Harry considered to be a patronizing tone.

"Well, it's not like I got much of a choice on the matter, do I, with the bastard hunting me down." Harry remarked coldly.

"Still," Dumbledore continued, ignoring Harry's statement. "I agreed to give you these lessons as long as you didn't spend all your free time. I'm afraid that if you continue acting like this I will be forced to suspend them."

Harry was fuming. _Doesn't Dumbledore understand the importance of my training!? Doesn't he understand the threat of Voldemort!?_

As much as he wanted to explode at the man, he knew it wouldn't do him any good. He needed these lessons.

"Fine. Good evening Headmaster." Harry said in an expressionless voice before leaving Dumbledore's office without even waiting for a response.

Harry walked to the Gryffindor common room in an irate mood. While he knew that he was skipping meals, and sleep, because of training, he knew it was important. While he did enjoy his training sessions, he wasn't pushing himself like this because he wanted to. He needed to be prepared for Voldemort and he wouldn't be if all he did was play chess and talk about Quidditch like Dumbledore, Sirius, and Remus wanted.

It was in this mood that he entered what he thought was an empty common room and began heading to the stairs that lead to his dorm before he was stopped by the voice he loved the most.

"Harry! Wait up!"

He turned around to find Hermione walking towards him, a smile adorning her beautiful face. As soon as he saw her he felt himself immediately calm down as all the tension left his body. He couldn't help but smile back at her.

"Hey, sorry. I didn't see you there."

Harry saw her lovely features shift into a frown.

"Are you ok, Harry?"

_How does she manage to do that every time!?_

Before he could answer her, she gently took his hand and led him to the couch that was in front of the fireplace. Harry didn't even think about fighting her and let her guide him there, where they both sat and Hermione sat by his side.

"What's bothering you?"

Harry was surprised when he found that he didn't want to lie to her and tell her he was fine. He knew he could trust her with everything and anything, so he decided to tell her.

"It's just, Dumbledore. He wants me to stop training."

"What!? Why? He knows about your vision with Voldemort from the summer, right?" She asked him, baffled.

Hermione talking about his visions of Voldemort reminded him of the fact that he still hadn't told her about his vision from two weeks ago. Deciding this isn't the right moment to bring it up he just nodded his assent.

"So why does he want you to stop training!?" She asked fuming.

Harry's insides were doing somersaults and he couldn't stop the smile from creeping to his face. He loved that Hermione was indignant on his behalf.

"He doesn't actually want me to stop with my training... it's more that he doesn't like that I'm spending so much time on it."

He saw Hermione nibble at her lower lip, something she always did when deep in thought and something that made him want to snog her senseless. He was brought out of his **very** pleasant thoughts when he heard Hermione's voice.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about your training." Hermione said and looked at Harry, her face determined and serious.

"Not you too." Harry groaned.

"Hear me out Harry! I know that your training is important and…" Hermione hesitated before blurting out the last bit. "Ifinditreallyattractivehowseriousyou'retakingyourstudies."

The confession left both teens with extreme blushes while all of Harry's heart was dancing the tango.

_Hermione finds me attractive?_

_No you idiot, she finds your new habits attractive._

_That's the same!_

_No, she may not find you physically attractive._

_Oh shut it, I'm not having this conversation with you!_

_I'm you, dumbass._

_Ugh!_

"But," Hermione's voice brought him back from his internal discussion. "There is something I wanted to ask you."

Knowing Hermione, she said with some trepidation and nervousness, she was probably thinking about asking him for the past month and only got the courage to do it now. Suddenly, Hermione's face became even more determined and looked at him straight in the eyes.

"I want to join you in your training sessions."

Whatever Harry was expecting he didn't know, but this wasn't it. Without even thinking it through, Harry responded.

"No."

"No?" A glaring Hermione asked back

"No." Harry repeated.

"And may I ask why not?" Hermione's cold voice didn't hide its sarcasm.

Harry opened his mouth to respond but realized he didn't actually have a good answer. Instead, he responded with something that made him cringe since he heard it earlier.

"Because you shouldn't have to worry about Voldemort."

"Oh. So what, just because Voldemort is not actively looking to kill me himself I'm supposed to just wait until he does, so that I start training? I'm supposed to watch helplessly as my best friend fights him. I'm supposed to do nothing to help you?" She asked him matter of factly.

"Hermione-" He breathed out as if struck.

"No! You listen to me and you listen well Potter!" Hermione spat. "I am not some helpless damsel in distress waiting for you or anyone else to save me! I am not going to watch as you prepare to fight him and just say good luck and send you off against him with a token of my favour! I'm going to be there right by your side when you beat him! And I'll be damned if you try to stop me! I'll be there whether you like it or not!"

While he couldn't help but love the ferocity she displayed, he wasn't going to let that dissuade him from protecting her.

"It's not that!"

"Then what is it! Do you think I'm not good enough to fight with you!"

"No!" He cried out.

"Do you want me to be a helpless victim when Voldemort comes knocking!" She didn't back down.

"NO!" He shot back as he rose from the couch in one swift movement, his heart pounding in his chest at the very thought of Hermione, tortured and broken, of her whimpering and screaming as she's subjected to the cruciatus, like he was.

"THEN WHY?!" She yelled as she stood up as well, looking him in the eye.

"BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE!"

Harry didn't even realize both were now standing up and were shouting at each other. He was relieved that there was no one around to witness this scene and reigned himself in as much as he could, taking in a deep breath, realising if they kept this up it wouldn't take too long for the whole house to wake up and be entertained by their shouting match.

"Fuck!" Harry kicked the table and plopped down on the couch. He noticed that Hermione gently sat down and looked at him with a weary expression. Harry took a few seconds to calm himself before he spoke again, not being able to look at Hermione.

"Facing this stuff in real life, it's not like in school. It's not a game, Hermione." He began in a low voice, a bit rough and hoarse.

"I know that, Harry-"

"No. You don't. You don't know how seeing someone being tortured while the torturer laughs makes you see red and not think clearly. You don't know how watching someone die right in front of you, watching the light go out from his eyes, breaks you in a way that can't be fixed. You don't know what it's like to try your best, to fight with everything you have, only for it to be useless. You don't know what it's like when someone humiliates you and tortures you for amusement. And that isn't even the worst part."

Harry looked up at Hermione and saw that she had a distraught face. He continued speaking without breaking the newly established eye contact. He let his defences drop, allowed himself to be vulnerable in front of this girl he trusted wholeheartedly, because he had to make her understand what she was asking of him, what she was demanding of him and how all he wanted was to shield her from the ugliness and brutality of this world, for she deserves it more than anyone else he knows.

"No, the worst part is when you wake up and you realize you're still alive." He heard Hermione gasp at this but continued. "When you realize that you survived while someone died because of you. When you start having nightmares every night about how you couldn't save that man. When you-" Harry hesitated for a moment. "When you hear his screams over and over and over again, at every hour of every day, and no matter how hard you try. You can't get them to stop."

Harry sighed and looked at his lap again.

"It's not that I don't think you can't fight," He gave a hollow laugh at that. "Hell, I know that if you had as much practice as I have had, you would probably easily beat me. And I know there's no way to stop you from helping me. But to have you train with me, preparing for a fight that I don't want you to be a part of. It just makes it feel real, you know. It would mean that there's nothing I could do to prevent you from being killed because of me."

By the end he couldn't stop the raw emotion from leaking from his voice and looked down in shame. He hated showing weakness like this to anyone… especially Hermione. Though he knew he could trust her enough to be vulnerable in front of her, the more he spoke… a part of him wondered what if she pitied him; and he couldn't accept that - he wants a lot of things from Hermione, he's realised that for a while now; but her pity is not one of those things.

He felt Hermione grab his hands and looked up to see her determined yet gentle expression and exhaled, she looked at him with understanding and not pity.

"So you're saying that you don't want me to train with you because you don't want me in danger. Because you don't want me to go through things that you know will hurt me or even kill me. Because you don't want to lose me?."

Harry could only nod, not trusting his voice.

"And do you think I don't feel like that? Do you think I like having Voldemort want to kill my best friend. Do you think I like seeing you kill yourself training every day?" Harry was about to interrupt but Hermione beat him before he could, tightening her hold on his hands. "Don't you dare deny it! You're not eating! You're barely sleeping!"

Harry felt Hermione grip his hands even more tightly. As much as he wanted to deny it, it was true. He had been skipping most lunch periods and not even having breakfast, only eating at dinner. He constantly went to bed at like three in the morning only to wake up at six and go down to the common room to continue his reading.

"I'm not letting my friend go through this on his own. The night we saved Sirius I promised you that I wasn't going to leave you. This doesn't change anything, so get it in through your head. We're in this together!"

Harry once again looked down and swallowed, shutting his eyes. He knew that when Hermione was determined like she was now he couldn't stop her. And the last thing he wanted was to have a fight with her. He loved her and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.

Completely oblivious to the fact that he admitted that he loved her, even if only to himself, he continued.

"I can't lose you, Hermione. I… is it wrong that I want to protect you?"

Hermione laughed at that, but this wasn't that beautiful laugh that made Harry's insides tingle, no it was hollow much like his own laugh from a few minutes ago.

"No, it's not. But I also want to protect you, so don't think for a second that you can push me away. And you can't deny it Harry, I'm a **muggleborn** , I already have a target on my back whether I train with you or not. Don't you see that? Isn't it better if I do train then? And if it means that I can beat you at DADA, I'd consider it an added bonus"

Harry chuckled at that looking at Hermione, god he loved how she just knew how to pull him back from his darkness. And it was this more than anything that made him blurt out his next words,

"I'm sorry. I just can't lose you Hermione… not **you**."

"I can't lose you either Harry."

It was at this moment that he realized that throughout the conversation, they moved closer and closer, until Hermione's face was only a couple of inches away from his. She was so close he could feel the heat radiating from her. He looked at her lips, they were so inviting and he wanted nothing more than to kiss them…

But his Gryffindor courage failed him.

He pulled back and stood stretched.

"I should probably head off to bed." He stated and couldn't help but see that Hermione's expression was a bit disappointed.

"Right." She said, standing up from the couch. "So, we'll talk tomorrow about our training."

"Hermione…" Harry tried pleading one last time, but knew it was useless.

"Don't." Hermione stated and he relented.

"Fine, just not tomorrow. Please. Next Monday you can start joining me, I promise."

Hermione gave a small hmph, but nodded.

Harry thought for a moment about asking her if they should invite Ron, but he realized he didn't want to. This was time that he could spend alone with Hermione… and he loved spending time alone with her. Besides, it's not like Ron would mind, he has never shown interest in the academic side of things.

He walked Hermione to the base of the stairs and both stopped, neither wanting to leave the other.

It was a few moments of uncomfortable silence later when Hermione finally relented.

"Goodnight Harry."

She kissed him on the cheek and left before Harry could say anything. Harry just stood there for a few moments before leaving for his dorm. While he hated the thought of Hermione being in danger, he realized that it was never a question of whether she would be there at his side or not. She always was… she wouldn't be Hermione if she wasn't.

* * *

"I still don't know how you did it, Harry." A cheerful Ron said while basically skipping out of the dungeons.

Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes and smile. Ever since he'd issued an ultimatum to Snape, the greasy git hadn't even sneered at them, something that Ron managed to notice after the second class. Ever since, the redhead had tried to push Snape's boundaries and was satisfied every time he seemed about to explode and still didn't do anything.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Harry said nonchalantly like he always did when Ron, or anyone, asked what happened.

"Oh, please Harry. Everyone knows you did something. Ever since Professor Snape tried to expel you, he hasn't attacked you, or any other Gryffindor for that matter." Hermione stated matter-of-factly while walking right beside him, their hands brushing against each other from time to time but never intertwining.

"Would you believe me if I told you Snape suddenly got a conscience?" Harry said maintaining what he hoped was the face of innocence, while lightly grinning at Hermione.

Hermione's raised eyebrow told him she clearly didn't believe it while Ron took a not so subtle approach at expressing his disbelief.

"Snape? A conscience? That's as likely as Hermione having a life outside of books." The redhead casually dissed out.

Hermione turned to glare at the redhead and Harry decided to interrupt before this turned into one of their usual rows, something he hadn't seen much recently due to him being holed up in the room training most of the time.

"Or as likely as the Cannons winning the cup?"

"Oi!" Ron exclaimed while Harry saw Hermione relax from the corner of his eye. "Don't diss the Cannons!"

"Whatever," Hermione said as they reached the common room and sat down in their usual seats, with Harry and Hermione on the couch while Ron sat across them on a scarlet puff. Hermione turned around and poked Harry's chest with her finger

"Spill, Potter!"

"I didn't do anything, honestly." Hermione raised her eyebrow at that. "Well… I may have told him about some possible future endeavours I would like to participate in."

By this point, Ron already had his mouth full of a sandwich he nicked from lunch, but didn't seem to care about it. "Whjt dp ypu mhgen?"

"Oh, honestly Ronald!" Hermione shot a glare at him, but he soundly ignored her and raised his eyebrows at Harry, prompting him to continue.

"Well, I told him I was interested in giving out an interview, one where I mention how much I love our potions classes." Harry said, sarcasm dripping from his tone by the end.

Before Ron could process what that would mean, Hermione gasped and turned to look at Harry.

"You blackmailed a professor!?" She uttered, thunderstruck, her eyes huge as saucers.

"I wouldn't call it blackmail, per se." Harry tried to explain to an appalled Hermione. "I'd call it… a solemn vow..?"

Thankfully Harry was saved from Hermione's answer by Pigwidgeon knocking on the window with his beak. Ron stood up from his puff, opened the window and grabbed the letter from Pigwidgeon's leg before joining them.

"It's from mum," Ron said unprompted and continued after a couple of moments of reading. "She says thank you to you both for also wishing her a happy birthday in the letter we sent."

"Anything new on Percy?" Hermione asked.

"Nah, he's still looking for a job but I don't doubt he's still pissed. After all the sucking up he did at the ministry, he still got fired. He must be fuming right now. Still, the pompous prick deserved it."

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed.

"What? You saw him all summer, acting like he was better than us because he was working with the great Mr Crouch. Boasting about how much he'd advanced in such a small amount of time. We all could see he even thought he was better than dad!" Ron said, making a face.

"Still, he didn't do anything wrong and was fired anyways. It's not fair to him and you saying he deserved it isn't ok." Hermione spoke with a pitying tone and Harry could see how she felt Percy didn't deserve his sibling's scorn while everything else was going wrong for him. He didn't quite fault Hermione for being sympathetic towards Percy but he felt Ron's feelings towards his sibling was a personal matter too.

Harry was thankfully saved once again by the twins.

"What are you three doing here?"

"Yeah, shouldn't you be on your way to the welcoming party"

"And you shouldn't?" Harry countered.

"Touché, ickle Harriekins , touché."

"Come on, we should get going." Hermione commanded and the four boys followed her out of the common room after a "Yes ma'am," from a grinning Harry.

As soon as they were outside and on their way, the twins flanked on either sides of Harry and Ron and each threw an arm around the shoulders of the two younger boys caught in the middle of the dastardly duo.

"So,"

"Protectors of the sorcerer's stone,"

"Defeaters of the great basilisk,"

"Survivors of werewolves,"

"How are you going to try and enter the tournament?"

Hermione beat Harry before he could deny any involvement.

"Harry actually doesn't want to join." She stated while pulling him out of the twins arms and intertwining hands with him, leaving Ron behind who now had both his twin brothers holding a shoulder each.

As soon as they got away, Harry gave Hermione's hand a squeeze in thanks, which Hermione reciprocated.

"Alright then,"

"Keep your secrets Harriekins."

"No, guys, I really don't want to jo-" Harry began, but was clearly ignored by the twins who interrupted him.

"What about you, ickle Ronniekins?" They asked him playfully, their expressions mischievous.

"Got any plans to make mum and dad proud?"

Ron looked a little ashamed before he answered. "Not really, no. I want to but I got no clue how to pass for a seventh year."

Fred turned to George raising an eyebrow. "Should we tell him, slightly less handsome brother?"

"Hmmm, I don't know, slightly less smarter brother."

"Please tell me you idiots aren't planning on trying to join this stupid tournament?" Hermione moaned.

The twins turned to look at her, smirks plastered on their faces.

"Who?"

"Us?"

They asked innocently.

Harry and Hermione shared a look.

"Yes!" Both Harry and Hermione exclaimed at the same time.

"Maybe,"

"Not that you can prove it though."

Harry saw Hermione roll her eyes at them.

"Do you two have a way of joining the tournament?" Ron asked with a hopeful expression.

"We're working on that, but first we need to see who this judge is that will choose the champions."

"But we were thinking about using ageing potions."

"Ageing potions?" Ron asked.

"Yes" Both twins chorused

"Do you think it could also work for me?" Ron asked, excitement shining through his eyes.

"Ron!" Hermione chastised but the three Weasleys ignored her. Harry just gave her hand another squeeze to show his support, but didn't do anything else. Ron and the twins had been thinking about the tournament non-stop for the past two months and nothing was going to stop them.

"I don't see why not." Fred said.

"Perfect! I'll join you guys."

Fred and George seemed to have a silent conversation and after a few moments both turned to Ron.

"Sure thing, little brother." Both stated at the same time.

Harry slowed his pace and Hermione was forced to as well, leaving the Weasley brothers talking about their plans for the tournament, oblivious to the fact that Harry and Hermione were no longer with them.

As soon as they were out of ear-shot Hermione gave a groan before she spoke.

"It's not going to work." Hermione stated.

"Then why even bother trying to stop Ron?" Harry asked gently.

"Because he's trying to break the rules for no good reason. I expect that from Fred and George, but we've tried to convince Ron that joining the tournament isn't worth it and it's like he didn't even listen to us!" She said crossly while Harry was trying his best to take her seriously. But it was really hard, she was extremely cute when she was bossy and angry.

"Why are all guys obsessed with this stupid tournament!" Hermione moaned.

"Well… they did take Quidditch away from us." Harry said, trying to break the tension.

Hermione glared at Harry and he immediately put his hands up in surrender.

"What? I'm on your side, Hermione." Harry placated.

"I know," Hermione sighed. "You promised."

"That I did," Harry said, lowering his hands and immediately returning his right one to its rightful place, in Hermione's left one.

They continued walking in silence, enjoying each other's company before they reached the entrance. It wasn't until they got there that they realized that they were probably the last ones of the whole school to arrive and couldn't see anything except their fellow students.

"Ugh!" Harry groaned. "Why do we have to be here! It's not like we can see anything from here."

"Because Harry," Hermione began in lecture mode. "We need to show a united front to welcome the other schools. Besides, it wouldn't be of nice manners to not welcome our guests into the castle."

The two continued to talk about nothing and everything for ten minutes before they were joined by Neville, who just got back from the common room. While Harry was slightly annoyed that he wasn't alone with Hermione anymore he didn't say anything.

The trio continued talking for the next forty minutes before Harry finally broke."

"Ugh! This is so stupid! We're standing here like idiots waiting for the others to arrive!"

"I'm sure they'll be here soon." Hermione tried to convince Harry, but he could see she was trying to convince herself more than him.

It wasn't until ten minutes later that he heard the crowd start saying something about looking at the sky. Unfortunately for the trio, they were at the back of the crowd and couldn't even see the sky since they couldn't manage to step outside the castle. A few moments later he saw the crowd splitting up, leaving a space in the middle.

Harry, Hermione, and Neville also moved to leave space where a few minutes later, the tallest woman Harry had ever seen walked past him, followed by a group of older boys and girls, all in light blue robes. It was a couple of moments later when he felt Hermione take his hand. He turned to look at her and smiled, he didn't know why she grabbed his hand out of the blue but had no plans in complaining about it. He loved holding hands with his best friend. He still disliked being touched mostly, especially by strangers; but when Hermione snuck up on him he didn't know - all he knew was he liked it when she touched him - a hug, a brush of hand across his own, a gentle kiss on his cheek…he loved it all. He craved her touches and lapped up all she freely gave off of herself and still wanted more, so much more of her; all to himself, forever and ever.

The group passed them and headed towards the Great Hall. Immediately after that, all the students broke the formation and tried pushing past each other to get a better look. Twenty minutes later the crowd began exclaiming again, this time about something in the Black Lake.

The students began taking the same positions as before and five minutes later, a white haired man with a sneer that could give Snape's a run for his money passed him and was followed by older girls and boys that were wearing blood red robes, following him in a military like fashion.

As the Durmstrang students rounded the corner towards the Great Hall, he turned back towards the entrance and saw that Dumbledore was making his way, talking with professor McGonagall, with students following them. The three of them had to wait for Dumbledore, who gave Harry a wink as he was passing by, and the other students, with Lavender and Parvati waving at Hermione as they passed them, to pass them before they could make their way to the Great Hall.

When they reached the Great Hall, Harry saw that Dumbledore was already sitting on his golden throne, with the tall woman sitting to his left and the sneering man to his right, both in similar, but slightly smaller, golden thrones. Also at the head table were two people he recognized from the Quidditch World Cup; Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman. He also saw other people in formal robes he didn't recognize, but didn't look like they were from Britain.

He turned to see that the students with blood red robes decided to sit in the Slytherin table while the ones in light blue robes sat in the Ravenclaw table. Hermione nudged Harry to their spot at the Gryffindor table, where Hermione and Neville sat at either side of him, with Ron sitting across them, with Lavender and Parvati sitting at his left.

"Where were you guys? You suddenly disappeared."

"Now, Ron…" Lavender began with a smirk on her face. "Don't pester them. I'm sure they got lost in one or two broom closets."

Harry and Hermione blushed scarlet while the other four were laughing at them. While Harry was used to Ron teasing him about Hermione, he wasn't used to Lavender doing the teasing.

_Am I that obvious? Or do they think Hermione's obvious? Hermione isn't obvious… right? I would have noticed if she was obvious. Maybe she talked to them about us? Does that mean she likes me? What does she tell them about me?_

Harry was beginning to internally panic but was brought out of his thoughts when Dumbledore stood up and walked towards the podium in the front.

"Welcome! To Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" All of the Hogwarts students began to clap and Harry joined them while still slightly distracted by his worrisome thoughts.

"I'd like everyone to give a hand of applause to Madam Maxime and the students from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic!"

The Great Hall erupted in applause and Madam Maxime stood up, giving a small courtesy, before sitting back down.

"I'd also like everyone to give a hand of applause to Igor Karkaroff and the students from Durmstrang Institute!"

Once again, the Great Hall was filled with applause, but Karkaroff didn't even bother standing, just sneered in understanding. Dumbledore didn't make any remarks of Karkaroff's behaviour and continued.

"Now, I know all of you must be excited about the tournament-" Dumbledore was interrupted when everyone made sounds of approval, cheers, and even some fireworks which Harry had a small idea of who were the responsible parties, and from the glares McGonagall was sending the twins so did she.

Dumbledore on the other hand, seemed delighted by the ambience the twins and the rest of the students were making, his twinkle visible even from Harry's place in the Gryffindor table.

"But, I will leave the explanations for after the feast. For now, enjoy the food!"

And with that, the plates in front of them filled up and everyone began eating. On his left, Hermione and the other two girls began to start a conversation, and Harry, not really wanting to know what they were talking about, decided to start talking to Neville and Ron. Ron started blabbing off about the tournament and his plans with Fred and George to enter. To his right he could see that while even Neville was interested about the tournament, the round faced boy didn't have any plans on trying to join.

"Harry, did you see Krum!?" Ron exclaimed after he finished telling them about his plans.

"What?" Harry answered back. To be honest he hadn't been paying much attention to the students when they entered the castle. At the time his mind was fully focused on Hermione's hand and how his heart was doing cartwheels non-stop at the feeling of her hand in his.

"You didn't see Krum!?" Ron exclaimed indignantly.

"Krum?" Hermione asked, joining the conversation with the other two girls.

"Tell me you saw him!?" Ron exclaimed to Hermione.

"Where?"

Ron looked at Harry and Hermione as if they had grown two heads.

"Are you both mental!? Krum! He's here! He's a student at Durmstrang!"

"What's the big deal? He's just some Quidditch player." Hermione stated.

"Just some Quidditch player!?" Ron said like he was on the verge of a heart attack and, surprisingly, Parvati shot back in a similar tone.

"How could you not notice Krum!?" Ron asked Harry. Which caused the teen to blush.

"I was busy." Harry replied, trying to sound nonchalant.

Before Ron could answer back, a girl from Beauxbatons with silvery blond hair stood up behind Ron and talked to Harry.

"Excusez-moi?"

Harry turned to look at her and couldn't help but think that she was beautiful. But at the same time, he couldn't help but think she had nothing on Hermione.

"Yeah?" Harry answered and saw that Ron and Neville were ogling her.

"Are you going to eet zat?" The girl asked and pointed to the plate in front of him that had some cuisine he didn't recognize.

"Ummm… No, I don't think so." He turned to Hermione. "Were you planning on eating it?" He asked her and she beamed at him, why she did, Harry had no idea, but he couldn't help but smile back at her.

"No, but thanks Harry." She chirped happily, which flummoxed Harry.

Harry turned back to the older girl. "You can have it if you want." He said, grabbing the plate and handing it to her.

The girl just grabbed the plate and returned to her spot at the Ravenclaw table, but Harry couldn't help but notice that nearly every boy on the Gryffindor table was watching her leave.

The rest of dinner went quietly and when it looked like everyone was done with their food, Dumbledore stood from his chair and headed toward the podium.

"Now that our bellies are full, I believe we can begin with the inauguration of the tournament."

Everyone began clapping and cheering with the Weasley twins hooting loudly.

"Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event… The Triwizard Tournament. This is an extremely old tournament that used to be held every three years between our three schools. In this tournament, one person - one champion - is chosen from each school to represent it. And **this** is going to be the judge that will choose the champion from each school. Mr Filch, if you would."

Mr Filch entered from the chamber where he and Dumbledore had their conversation at the beginning of the year, carrying a large wooden chest which he placed on a podium beside Dumbledore. Dumbledore opened the creaking casket and pulled out a large, wooden cup with blue flames sprouting from it. Closing it again, he gently placed the cup on top of it.

" _This…_ is the Goblet of Fire. An ancient magical artifact that will choose the most courageous, the most resourceful, the most clever, and the most cunning student from a school and will deem him or her that school's champion. To be in contention, you only need to place a slip of paper with your name and school in the Goblet."

Dumbledore said, his eyes scanning the hall, noting he held everyone's attention before continuing.

"Now, as I stated at the beginning of the year, this is an extremely dangerous tournament that has killed many contestants in the past. For that reason, the three ministries of magic and the headmasters have decided to make it only available to those of age. So, I will be placing an age-line to prevent younger students from placing their name in the Goblet."

There would have been boos and jeering from those who realised they were ineligible to compete in the tournament but something in Dumbledore's expression kept them mum even as their attentions stayed rapt.

"For those of age, I warn you. This tournament is not a game, it's a competition that will push you to your very limit not only to win, but to survive. Unless you are prepared to fully focus on the task and to give your best effort, it would be unwise to enter. That is the reason why the champion's won't have to present the end of year exams."

Dumbledore stopped for a moment and while everyone was cheering before, none were doing so now. Some students looked genuinely afraid, having never seen Dumbledore act this seriously. Others, mostly Gryffindors but also some from other houses, looked at the Goblet with even more determination.

He felt Hermione take his hand and give it a firm grip as if trying to prevent him from leaving her.

"Something you need to take into account. If chosen, you stand alone. You won't be able to ask any teachers for help, you can't request extra-curricular classes or tutoring lessons with them. You can't bring friends and family to aid you in the tournament. You will have to face those dangers, completely alone."

This prospect drained the colour from many faces, rapidly and simultaneously.

"So I will warn you one final time. Do not enter this tournament as a joke or on a bet, because we won't be able to do anything to help you if you are chosen. The Goblet acts similar to an unbreakable vow, which means that if a champion decides they don't want to compete anymore or even if they are unable to compete in the tasks, it will cause the champion's death… **instantly**."

With the silence in the hall you could have heard something fall on the other side of the castle. Harry had no idea why people would want to enter this tournament, but looking around he saw some determined faces, including one from his first friend. Thankfully, he trusted Dumbledore's age-line so he knew he wouldn't actually be able to enter the tournament. But the fact that he was actively willing to risk his life for gold and glory worried him.

"Now, I'll leave it to Mr Crouch and Mr Bagman to explain what the tournament will consist of. Please give these two gentlemen a round of applause." Dumbledore said, before sitting back down and giving the two men the floor.

They looked exactly like they did at the World Cup. Crouch's expression was a serious and determined one while Bagman's was a cheerful one. Harry was sure Bagman was the only person in the room smiling. _How can he be smiling at the thought of seventeen year old kids risking their lives for entertainment!?_

"As Headmaster Dumbledore has already explained, this is a very dangerous tournament. It will consist of three different tasks. Each task will challenge the champion's in various different and deadly ways. The first task will take place November 24th, the second February 24th, and the third June 24th."

"Oh, come on Barty. No need to be so broody." Bagman exclaimed. "To give the audience the full experience, we worked with Arthur Weasley-" Harry saw Ron's jaw drop at the announcement that his father worked on the tournament. "And his department to incorporate muggle technology so that the audience can have the best view of the tasks through a screen of some sort, with cameras flying around capturing the champions as they compete."

Crouch glared at Bagman before continuing. "This is not a tournament exclusive to Hogwarts. While every person here will have a place guaranteed in the stadium. We also sold over three thousand tickets to people from outside of Hogwarts and the event will be streamed through the wizard wireless by major radio stations across our three nations.."

"The winner of the tournament will not only receive ten thousand galleons, but will also receive the Triwizard Cup as a price. That is all we can tell you about the tournament without giving away anything to the champions." Crouch turned towards the head table. "Headmaster Dumbledore."

Dumbledore stood up once again, went to the podium, and shook hands with the two men before addressing the hall.

"The Champion Selection Ceremony will be held tomorrow at the Halloween feast. The Goblet of Fire will be placed in the entrance hall where any student can place their name there at any time before the feast begins. To all prospective champions, good luck!"

The students slowly began leaving the Great Hall, all the excitement from the tournament was replaced by mutterings. While Harry could tell some people were still excited, it was obvious that the majority wasn't expecting the tournament to be this… barbaric.

Harry turned to look at Hermione and saw she was looking at him with an almost pleading expression. He squeezed her hand, which still held his in a death grip that made Harry feel as if some bones were broken, to try to calm her down. When that didn't work he whispered to her.

"I promise."

Hermione gave him a smile that made his insides melt. He would give her the world to see that smile again.

The group stood up and headed to the Gryffindor tower, with Neville, Lavender, and Parvati

Walking ahead of them in silence.

"Wow!" Harry heard Ron exclaim in a revenant whisper. Harry turned to look at him and locked eyes with him. "I bet you're now regretting saying you wanted nothing to do with the tournament."

Harry felt Hermione tense beside him and could feel an outburst from her. He squeezed her hand to calm her and signal to her that he would deal with it.

"No, just the opposite actually. Why would I want to be in a tournament that could kill me?" Harry tried to reason.

"Why do you mean why? It's the perfect way to prove yourself to the whole school. After you finish the tournament, nobody could say you aren't a great wizard. And if you win you get ten thousand galleons. What's not to love?" Ron exclaimed and looked at Harry as if he was the one that was mental.

"Ron, you could die! This isn't a game, Dumbledore said so. If we were to participate, we would definitely be killed before the end. If Dumbledore is warning seventh years, what chance do we have?"

"Oh, please Harry. We've survived worse! We always make it out just fine!"

"This isn't a game Ron!" Harry finally snapped. After two months of hearing Ron gush about the stupid tournament and how amazing it was and after hearing Dumbledore say it's basically a death sentence, he just couldn't take it anymore. The wizarding world was one fucked up place. "Honestly, it's disgusting how they're basically making kids participate for the benefit of the adults! You heard Crouch! There are going to be three thousand adults watching and only like five hundred students. This is clearly for the entertainment of the adults, most of whom I'm sure wouldn't even be able to survive this fucking tournament!" Harry thundered.

"Stop being such a dog in the manger, Harry! Honestly, this is the best opportunity some of us have to be recognized. Just because everyone already knows your name doesn't mean people don't want to prove that they are also great wizards!" Ron shot back, his voice full of contempt and something Harry couldn't quite recognise but suspected it to be envy.

Harry was about to explode at Ron, but Hermione managed to calm him down by squeezing his hand and dragging him away. They continued in silence until they reached the common room.

"I'm going to bed," Harry said and left his two friends behind as he climbed to his dorm, got into bed, and shut the curtains while placing the usual spells.

Harry groaned and laid down, trying to calm himself. After ten minutes, he grabbed his night clothes, changed inside the privacy of the curtains and immediately went to bed. The tournament hadn't even started and he already hated it.

* * *

Hermione woke up early the next day. Last night during the Triwizard Tournament inauguration she only had one thought. _Thank Merlin Harry isn't planning on joining the stupid tournament_. It was totally barbaric! There must be better ways of winning ten thousand galleons and some recognition than to risk your life for it. And the fact that Ron was still trying to get into the tournament totally baffled her.

Hermione pushed those thoughts away. Ron wouldn't be able to get past Dumbledore's age line so he wouldn't be able to make the worst mistake of his life. She quickly showered, went through her morning routine, and changed into her school robes before grabbing her bookbag and going down to the common room.

She wasn't surprised when she found Harry there, reading another new book. This was like the tenth new book she'd seen him read when the two of them were alone in the common room.

"Hey you," She called out while smiling.

Harry looked up from his book at her and immediately smiled that beautiful smile that never failed to make her day.

"Hey," He called softly and did something he'd never done. He extended his hand to her.

She walked towards him and took it without hesitating. Harry gently pulled her down to the couch ensuring there was no distance between them, as she snuggled besides him. He put his arm around her shoulders and brought her even closer to him, inhaling the scent of her.

Harry gently removed the book from his lap and placed it on the feet of the couch. They stayed in a very comfortable silence for ten minutes.

It was these moments she wouldn't change for anything. She couldn't imagine sharing this type of intimacy with anyone except Harry. _Her first friend, her best friend, her maybe potentially future boyfriend maybe?_ _ **Her**_ _Harry._ The last made her blush furiously even as she felt a smile blossom across her lips.

She could sense that he was feeling down. At first she thought it was because of the fight with Ron and the whole tournament thing, but then she realized it was the last day of October. It was Halloween. Harry was always a little bit more sad on Halloween, even if he didn't notice it. And it wasn't like he had many good memories from this day.

His parents dying, the troll, the chamber, Sirius. It seemed like something bad was destined to happen to Harry on Halloween. She just hoped nothing bad happened this Halloween and held him a bit tighter, if he noticed that Harry didn't comment.

For a second she thought about asking him how he was, but quickly dismissed the idea. Right now he doesn't need someone to ask him how he is. He just needs someone to be with him. And that is a sacrifice I would be more than happy to make, mainly because it wasn't much of a sacrifice. She loved spending time with him. She only wished the prat got off his arse and asked her to be his girlfriend already.

She'd talked with Lavender and Parvati about that, especially after the Quidditch match from a couple of weeks ago. The two girls had fawned over Harry literally pursuing her to hold her in his arms, not letting her go for a long time once he had and how they'd looked so happy holding each other. She was sure he liked her and she definitely loved him. Hermione paused.

 _Love? Do I love him?_ She thought about it and it didn't take long before one answer was clear in her head. _Yes. I love him. I love how I feel when I'm around him. I love how we can just be sitting reading and not be uncomfortable. I love how every time he smiles at me I can't help but smile back. I love how he always tries to make me laugh. I love the determination in his eyes when I see him reading. I love how he always supports me. I love how he's never tried to make me someone I'm not. I love how I can calm him down and how he can calm me down. I love how he can sometimes be a little bit moody._ She could go on for hours but she knew one thing. _I Love Harry Potter!_

She didn't know why it shocked her but this realisation was monumental as her heart thundered in her chest and her mouth went dry.

And that reminded her of what Lavender told her a few weeks ago. She could still hear it perfectly clear on her mind.

 _Hermione, there's one thing you need to understand about boys. They're stupid with the whole feelings thing, especially at this age._ Hermione internally chuckled at her words. _It's clear Harry likes you. But maybe he doesn't see you like him. I'm pretty sure you're going to have to make the first move because that boy is as clueless as all the others._

And she had agreed with that. It was clear that he liked her but for whatever reason he never did anything. For the past few days she'd thought about what to do, tried to plan the perfect way to tell him. And now that she figured out she loved him that was a priority. _If only the prat would have kissed me in one of the many opportunities we've had_

_You could've kissed him too, you know._

_Oh, shut up!_

But while Hermione was determined to make Harry get his head out of his arse, she wouldn't do it today. Today, he didn't need her as a girlfriend. He just needed her as Hermione Granger, Harry Potter's best friend and confidant.

They stayed there for a little bit over a half hour before Hermione finally disentangled from him, stood up, and extended her hand to him.

"Come on," She said with a soft smile. "Let's go have breakfast."

Harry gave her a small smile back before grabbing her hand and walking with her to the Great Hall without releasing her hand. They arrived at the Great Hall and saw some students up even at this early hour. What caught her off guard were the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang.

"That's going to take some getting used to." Hermione quietly remarked.

Harry gave a small chuckle that made her heart do a full gymnastics routine. "Yeah, and they won't just be in the Great Hall, you know?"

"Oh," Hermione remarked with mock over-interest. "Please, do tell where they will also be."

"Well, for one I'm sure there are going to be a lot of them in the library. Before you know it, they'll steal the books you want to read before you can check them out."

Hermione gave a fake gasp. "They wouldn't!" She declared with mock horror.

"Oh but they would, beautiful. I'm sorry." Harry said in a mock serious tone not realising what he'd just called her.

Hermione's reply was lost as soon as Harry called her ' _beautiful'_. If she hadn't decided not to tell him how she felt today, she would have snogged his brains out right then and there.

She saw that Harry couldn't take it anymore and started chuckling and slowly turned into full on laughter. Hermione tried, she really did, but in the end she also fell victim of her own laughter. Just as she was about to calm down she noticed other students looking at them as if they belonged in a mental institution. That only made her go overboard again, which made Harry laugh more.

In the end, she didn't know how they spent nearly five minutes without stopping laughing. She didn't even understand why they started in the first place and now her stomach hurt because of all the laughing. If she didn't know any better, she would've thought that someone cast an extremely overpowered cheering charm at them.

As soon as they stopped laughing, they started having their breakfast in comfortable silence. When Hermione finished, she pushed her plate away and propped a book with her cup and started reviewing what they were going to see in their transfiguration class.

She noticed Harry scooted near her and started reading as well. Knowing Harry didn't read as fast as her she made sure to stop for about half a minute before changing the page so that he could keep up.

After a while Ron joined them but didn't say anything, clearly still somewhat angry from last night's argument and neither Harry nor Hermione were eager to start it again. They managed to review all the topics they were set on seeing today for their classes, with Harry even reading about Arithmancy with her, before it was time to go to their Transfiguration class.

The trio walked out of the Great Hall towards the Transfiguration classroom in silence. It wasn't until then that she felt weird walking without holding Harry's hand. She wanted the warmth it provided but since they weren't officially a couple… yet, Hermione opted not to hold his hand in public. At least for now.

At Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall stressed starting reviewing for their upcoming O.W.Ls . In Hermione's mind, it was already too late to announce that. Personally, she had started reviewing during the start of the summer after third year, and even then it might've been a little late.

During class, Professor McGonagall had them start trying to change a guinea fowl to a guinea pig. Something she managed to do fairly easily in her first try, with her having reviewed that transfiguration extensively for the past week.

Hermione turned towards Harry and saw that he wasn't even trying. Instead, he completely ignored the guinea fowl that was lazily sleeping in his cage while Harry was reading a DADA book she didn't recognize from the books recommended for any year. She was about to chastise him about it, but Professor McGonagall beat her to it.

"Mr Potter! What exactly are you doing!?" Professor McGonagall exclaimed, catching the attention of all the class.

"Well, there's only so many things you can do with a book, Professor." He said cheekily.

 _Ugh! Harry! Stop!_ Hermione chastised in her head

"I don't recognize that as your transfiguration book, Potter." Professor McGonagall said coldly.

Harry actually seemed surprised by this and looked at the cover of the book and quickly back at Professor McGonagall.

"Would you believe me if I told you I transfigured my transfiguration book into this one?" Harry said with a grin.

Professor McGonagall didn't look amused and Hermione was internally yelling at Harry to just apologize and change the stupid bird!

"Since you've decided to not do your work and opted to read, it must mean that you already know the topic. Please, show your classmates how it's done." Professor McGonagall said.

 _Well, that's what you get for being an idiot, you idiot!_ Hermione internally exclaimed.

"That's really not necessary, Professor. I don't want to pressure anyone by doing it in front of them."

"I'm afraid I must insist, Potter." Professor McGonagall stated.

"Well then, if you must…" Harry said before standing up with the cage and placing it on the professor's desk.

Harry grabbed his wand and looked at Professor McGonagall one more time before saying the incantation. While Hermione thought Harry wouldn't fail completely, she didn't think he would manage to change the bird. So her jaw almost dropped when he did, and at the first try.

"Is that ok, Professor?" Harry asked and to anyone else, it would've seemed innocent. But Hermione, being Harry's best friend, noticed the small sarcasm in his voice.

"Yes Potter, that's perfect." Professor McGonagall stated grudgingly and motioned for Harry to take his seat.

After that the class went quietly. Nobody else managed to change the bird apart from her and Harry and she could see that Ron was getting more frustrated with every failed attempt.

As soon as they were out of the classroom, Hermione cornered Harry.

"Did you want McGonagall to force you to do that!" Hermione snapped.

"What? No!" When he noticed her expression of disbelief he continued. "Honestly, I didn't. I just forgot to charm the book to make it look like the Transfiguration book. I swear."

"But why didn't you just change the bloody bird and then proceeded to read?"

Harry raised an eyebrow at her swearing but moved past it when she ignored it. "I mean, sure. I could've. But since Dumbledore told me he didn't want me to waste a lot of free time with training, I decided to do the reading in classes and the practical later. That way I don't waste a lot of my free time with training and can waste it by doing teenager things like everyone wants me to do." Harry said, his tone becoming more bitter the more he talked.

"I know you're pissed at Dumbledore," Harry rolled his eyes at her but she ignored it. "But you could at least finish the classwork before doing your reading."

"I'm only doing it when I already know the topic, Hermione. Which I clearly did like I proved to McGonagall."

"Professor McGonagall, Harry. And I know you know the topic, but you didn't have to show off."

"McGonagall is the one that put me on the stage and wanted to humiliate me! How is this my fault!?" Harry exclaimed angrily, but Hermione knew he wasn't angry at her so let it pass.

"Just change the book next time, Harry."

"Fine. Sorry. I'm just not myself today." Harry said dejectedly.

"It's fine. I get it." Hermione said while grabbing his hand and squeezing it.

The rest of the classes she had with Harry went by more quietly. Harry still refused to do much in Charms and Defense and spent the class reading the book, this time he managed to charm it to look like the class's book. _I need to get Harry to teach me that spell._ Hermione thought to herself.

They had lunch with Ron who was starting to talk with them again, but completely ignoring the topic of the tournament.

After lunch, the trio decided to go to the Entrance Hall to watch people place their name in the Goblet. They saw a lot of students there, waiting for people to put their name.

"Hey guys!" Dean and Seamus greeted them.

"Hey! Have you seen who's entered?" Ron asked while the three of them sat down on the floor, their backs leaning on the wall behind them.

"Seen ourselves, not many. We've only seen Cedric Diggory, some girls from Durmstrang and a boy from Beauxbatons. We heard that Angelina entered as well as a couple of Slytherin seventh years and Davies from Ravenclaw as well."

"That's more than I expected." Hermione remarked absentmindedly.

"I know," Dean replied. "To be honest I expected that many would give it a pass after Dumbledore's pep talk from yesterday. But it seems like there are still a lot of people willing to enter."

Ron managed to stay silent instead of arguing. Harry and Hermione started reading their own respective books and it was about half an hour before Fred, George, and Lee entered the Entrance Hall, cheering and clapping while holding four vials.

"You have them?" Ron stood up and asked his brothers.

"Yup!"

"Ageing potions!"

"Since you're younger, you'll have to drink more than us."

"So this is your vial."

By this time everyone in the hall had gathered around the Weasleys and Lee. Hermione was smirking internally, wondering what tricks Dumbledore had for the people that tried to bypass his age line.

"Here are some of my clothes," Said one of the twins holding out a set of robes.

"Unless you want to do it starkers."

Ron nodded and returned a few minutes later with robes that were clearly too big for him and joined his brothers and Lee in front of the age line.

"Do you have your papers?" Fred asked the three and all of them pulled them out from their robes.

"Great!" Fred exclaimed.

"Bottoms up!" Chorused the twins and the four drank their potions. The twins and Lee stayed mostly the same, but Ron began growing taller until he actually surpassed the twins.

The four of them stepped into the circle of the aging line and for a moment Hermione was surprised. _Surely something as simple as an ageing potion wouldn't work… right?_

Suddenly, there was a loud sizzling sound and the four of them were blasted away from the golden circle. Beards started slowly growing on all of them and everyone in the hall lost it and began laughing. Even Fred, George, and Lee joined in the laughing while Ron seemed disappointed his plan didn't work.

"I did warn you," Said a voice from near the door and everyone turned around to look at a smirking Dumbledore. "I suggest you go to the infirmary and have Poppy remove your beards. Although, I must say if you wish to keep them I most certainly would encourage you to do so." Running a hand through his own long, silver beard.

The hall began laughing again and Dumbledore led the four to the infirmary. Hermione returned to her reading, taking her place besides Harry and was engrossed in her reading until all of the hall started murmuring. She looked up from her book to see what all the fuss was about and saw two Durmstrangs walking towards the Goblet of Fire.

"What's all the fuss about?" Hermione quietly asked Harry.

"That's Krum." He said nodding to the Durmstrang from the front.

He was a tall, thin, and sallow young man with dark hair. Behind him, was a slightly muscular, tall, blonde that had a grim expression.

Both walked to the Goblet, passed the age line, and put a paper each into the Goblet. The Goblet accepted it and both walked out of the room, without even muttering a word, where their Headmaster was waiting for them.

As soon as they left everyone started their speculations. Hermione heard a lot of people claiming that Krum was the sure champion of Durmstrang but ignored it and decided to continue reading.

After they're lunch period ended, Harry and Hermione went to Care of Magical Creatures. As much as they loved Hagrid, they hated that class and they hated the Blast-Ended Skrewts.. Hermione thought the fact that they were killing each other was more a blessing than a curse, though Hagrid would disagree with her Harry personally agreed with Hermione and he could see so did the rest of the students in their class - including the Slytherins, if their expressions were anything to go by.

After the class ended Hermione left for Arithmancy while Harry went to Divination. She sat with Daphne and Tracey where they worked on their current Arithmancy project like they always did on their Friday classes.

It was a much more tired Hermione that stepped into the common room after her classes and plopped down next to Harry on the couch at the common. She turned to look at Ron and saw that he was back to normal, no beard and normal stature.

She thought about reading a book but decided not to, she woke up pretty early today and wanted a small nap before the feast. She felt her eyes close and what seemed like a moment later she felt someone prodding her side.

Hermione turned her back against the finger that was prodding her shoulder and murmured "Later," to the couch.

"Hermione," She heard the voice she loved calling out to her. "Come on… we're going to be late."

She opened her eyes and saw that the common room was empty and Ron was standing there waiting for her. She turned to look at Harry and smiled when she saw his smile.

"If you keep on sleeping, we'll be late for the feast Miss Granger." Harry said with a grin.

She groaned but let him pull her up and the three of them headed off towards the Great Hall for the Champion Selection Ceremony.


	14. So It Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I basically wrote the last chapter and these ones back to back I had it done fairly quickly. I was going to wait but I honestly couldn’t wait anymore. I hope you enjoy it! :)
> 
> Beta-Read By Aani

As Harry was walking towards the Great Hall with Ron and Hermione, the sense of dread that had been bothering him all day, the same one that always warned him when something terrible was about to happen, skyrocketed to a level like never before. He subconsciously sought out Hermione's hand and when their fingers intertwined, he couldn't help but feel better, if only slightly.

The walk to the Great Hall was slow and torturous. The corridors were completely empty and the only sound that could be heard was the footsteps of the three teens.

After walking slowly and quietly for a few minutes they reached the entrance to the Great Hall. The Hall itself didn't help Harry's mood. It was completely dark, only lit by the hundreds of jack-o-lanterns that could be found everywhere; at the foot of the benches, on top of the tables, off to the sides. The only other source of light apart from them was the fire that came from the Goblet of Fire, which was situated near the podium where Dumbledore made his announcements.

The Great Hall was filled with students murmuring excitedly, sitting in their respective house tables. The professors and headmasters were sitting at the head table, also talking but noticeably less excited than the students, something that didn't surprise Harry given the enthusiasm the school had shown towards the tournament.

The head table was enlarged and had nearly twice as many seats where ministry officials were also seated. He recognized Fudge talking to the Bulgarian prime minister. Harry was thankful that Fudge hadn't noticed Harry's appearance in the Hall since he remembered Dumbledore telling him how the man supposedly had a grudge against him for singling out Malfoy as his attacker.

He turned to look to the sides and saw over a dozen reporters and cameramen standing at the back of the hall.

As quickly as he could, he power walked towards their spot at the table, basically pulling Hermione along with him as a puzzled Ron followed behind them. He took his seat beside Hermione while Ron took the one across from them.

Harry was pulled out of his thoughts when the twins took the spots beside Ron.

"So?" Fred asked.

"So what?" Harry asked a little unkindly, something the twins seemed to gloss over.

"Are you going to bet on who the champions will be?" Asked George

"You're taking bets!?" An incensed Hermione asked.

"Oh, honey. This isn't the only thing we're betting on." Said Fred with a wink.

It didn't take Harry more than a second to realize what bet they were talking about and he glared at the pair of redheads. He was about to start the chat he'd wanted to have with them for the past few months but Ron interrupted before he could speak."

"Sure. I'll bet a galleon on Krum for Durmstrang and…" Ron considered for a moment before answering. "And another galleon on Angelina for Hogwarts."

"And you do have the money to pay up in case you lose, Ronnikiens?" George asked

"Ummmm," Ron shot a pleading look at Harry and he gave a nod with a small fake smile, he wasn't in the mood for bets right now. After seeing his nod, Ron turned towards his brothers. "Yup, I do." He said with a grin.

George started taking notes of Ron's bets while Fred turned to Harry and Hermione.

"What about you two lovebirds? Are you going to bet tonight?" He asked with a smirk.

That managed to get Harry out of his mood for a second as he blushed crimson. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Hermione was also flushed and what made his heart begin to do the macarena was the fact that she didn't pull her hand away from his at Fred's teasing.

 _Potter! You idiot! Stop smiling like a fool!_ A part of his brain screamed at him.

It was only then that he realized he had a goofy grin plastered on his face. He schooled his features before turning to look at Fred who had a knowing smile. Harry chanced a look at Hermione and he could see she was trying to hide her own smile. And while it might've fooled anyone else, Harry could clearly see her hidden smile.

"We'll take that as a no," George said with a twin smile to his brothers. He turned to his twin "Although, I think we're going to need to check up on that other bet."

"That we do, brother." Said the now smirking twin as both stood up and left before the trio could say anything.

Hermione turned to him giving him a quizzical look.

"Do you have any idea what they're talking about? I've heard a couple of people mentioning this bet but never knew what it was about."

Harry turned to look pleadingly at Ron, making sure his face didn't give away his game, but the git had another freaking smirk! _Stupid Weasleys and their stupid, knowing smirks_! Harry grumbled internally. He turned to Hermione and, in order not only to save face and not ruin his chances, lied.

"I've absolutely no idea." He said a little bit too quickly.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him and he couldn't stop himself from gulping. Fortunately, he was saved when Dumbledore spoke up from the podium.

"Welcome all to the Champion Selection Ceremony!" The four house tables exploded with claps, cheers, and more which made Harry wonder what had happened to all the apprehension from last night. While the head table was only politely clapping, contrasting completely to the wild behaviour from the students from all schools.

"Tonight, we'll discover which students will represent their schools and participate in the three tasks with only their courage, wit, resourcefulness, and skill as help. I'd like you to give a round of applause to all of those brave enough to put their name for contention, even if only one student from each school will be chosen."

Once again the Great Hall descended into claps, even though they were slightly more subdued.

"These champions will compete in the tasks all throughout the year, and the winner will get to take home the Triwizard cup!"

He said and pointed towards the newly uncovered trophy. It was large and had the shape of a cup. It seemed like there was a blue light coming from inside that was reflected on the glass of the cup. It had three handles. In the front of the trophy were the words 'Triwizard Champion' inscribed and above it there were three different small gemstones. One gemstone was dark green, another was azure blue, and the other one was deep violet.

"But before we see which three students are chosen as the champions, let us enjoy our dinner."

And with that, food flooded the tables. The excited murmuring from before turned into conversations at full volume as the students ate with their friends and once again wondered who would be chosen as the champions.

As soon as the food appeared, Hermione's hand left his, and the only thing to distract him were conversations about the future champions, Harry once again descended into his feelings of dread. His chest felt extremely heavy, time felt incredibly slow, and any sudden movement caught his attention more than usual.

He didn't know why he felt this way. He would've chalked it up to his usual Halloween uneasiness. But this was different, he had never felt anything like this before. Not even when he went down in the Chamber about to face a giant basilisk was his feeling of dread this overpowering.

The only reason he could think of had to do with the goblet. But that was impossible… right? There's no way his name could come out of the goblet… right? The age line made it impossible… right? He wasn't going to be the Hogwarts champion… right!?

He hadn't entered his name, it was impossible for him to do so. He hadn't asked anyone of age to do it for him either. The thought had occurred to him after the fiasco with the ageing potions he had witnessed, that nowhere did Dumbledore mention that someone else couldn't enter your name in the cup. The thought had given him pause, he was sure if he had shared it with either of the brothers they'd have found a way to test his theory and he didn't fancy a howler from Molly Weasley should it work and one of her boys was indeed picked tonight.

He also felt, if he could have thought of this so could have Hermione, she was far smarter than anyone else he knew and if she had been interested in competing or if this was presented as a challenge to her, much like their obstacle course in the first year, she'd have found a way to crack it, much like she solved Snape's puzzle so brilliantly and quickly. He chanced a look at the witch in question and a fond smile crept upon his face at the memory when she looked his way and he blushed and ducked his head as if focused on his meal again.

But the momentary distraction was fleeting and a sense of impending doom once again knotted his stomach but he had to remind himself, he shouldn't, mustn't think like that. No. There was no way. He was sure there were precautions. This was just a stupid feeling that was trying to ruin his night. He pushed all those unpleasant thoughts away and concentrated on his food, barely aware of the conversation that was being had on the table.

After a couple of minutes without him speaking he felt Hermione's stare on him and his suspicions were proven right when he turned to look at her concerned face. He gave her the most convincing smile he could and joined the conversation, only speaking when it was clear it was his turn to speak and not saying much. Fortunately, that seemed to appease Hermione.

Dinner went like that for the next forty minutes, the slowest forty minutes of Harry's life. But finally, after what seemed to Harry like an eternity and a half, Dumbledore stood once more and began talking from the podium.

"Now that we're full, ready, and excited, it's time to see who will be chosen to go through these extremely challenging and dangerous tasks. I'm going to ask the champions to proceed to this chamber." He said while motioning towards the chamber where he recalled having a talk with Dumbledore at the beginning of the school year.

Dumbledore stepped towards the Goblet of Fire and drawing out his wand, began analyzing it. Harry had no idea of what he was doing but somehow Dumbledore seemed to be obtaining some information from it.

"The Goblet is about to make its decision. It should be extremely soon." Dumbledore called out towards the Great Hall. Everyone seemed to be at the edge of their seats, impatient waiting for the Goblet to spit out a name.

Suddenly, the fire from the Goblet turned from its usual deep blue color to a powerful crimson one before exploding upwards. Harry could see a paper shoot out of the fire and slowly began to descend from the air into Dumbledore's waiting hand. His heart was beating extremely hard and he felt like he couldn't breath.

Dumbledore gracefully grabbed the piece of paper from the air and cleared his throat before reading.

"The Champion for Durmstrang Institute… is Viktor Krum!"

The Great Hall exploded into cheers and claps. He heard Ron scream "Yes!" from across him as he turned to look towards the Slytherin table where the students from Durmstrang were at. The Durmstrang pupils were cheering loudly and Harry saw the same tall, blonde who put his name in with Krum giving the Champion a slap on the back, while grinning at him.

Krum stood up and walked towards the head table, where he shook hands with Dumbledore and then with his headmaster who loudly said, "Bravo Viktor!" before leading Krum towards the chamber where he descended the stairs as Karkaroff returned to his previous place.

As soon as Krum stepped into the chamber, everyone's attention shifted towards the Goblet. It took a couple of moments but just like before, the fire changed to a crimson color before exploding upwards.

Harry felt his heart speeding up again and held his breath as Dumbledore gracefully grabbed the piece of paper and read out after a few seconds.

"The Champion for Beauxbatons Academy of Magic is… Fleur Delacour!"

The Great Hall once again exploded and Harry turned to look towards the Ravenclaw table where the Beauxbatons contingent were seated. He couldn't help but notice the reaction from the Beauxbatons party was the complete opposite to the Durmstrang reaction. They were all sending dirty looks at the blonde while she stepped towards the head table without even looking at her schoolmates.

She was quietly congratulated by Madame Maxime before the headmistress pointed her towards the chamber and Fleur moved elegantly towards it.

With the champions from Durmstang and Beauxbatons chosen, only the champion from Hogwarts was left. Harry started nervously fidgeting, not knowing where to put his hands. He felt as if time had stopped, he couldn't stop looking at the goblet while his foot was rapidly tapping the ground unconsciously. He felt trapped, as if he couldn't breath. His chest was aching as his stomach was pushing all his dinner towards his mouth.

He didn't know how much time had passed before the Goblet once again turned crimson and and the fire shot the final paper of the night. Harry froze, not breathing, not moving, and could only watch as Dumbledore reached gracefully for the paper and stopped for a few seconds before speaking loudly.

"The Champion for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is… Cedric Diggory!"

Everyone was cheering and clapping, the Hufflepuff table the loudest of them all, with Harry doing so much more out of relief than excitement for the tournament. That relief lasted merely a second before Harry's heart dropped to his stomach. Out of the corner of his eyes, Harry could see the Goblet starting to act up again.

Unbidden, his mind recalled the words in that cold, vengeful voice he so hated. His heart skipping a beat.

" _NO! I told you Wormtail, the boy will suffer for what he did to me! Not until the end will he be brought to me and even then his suffering won't end! The best way to weaken him and ensure his suffering is waiting until the end!"_

The sizzling sounds from the Goblet and the wild movement of the flames caught the attention of most of the people in the hall, the teachers looking at it with concern clear in all their faces. Harry gripped the bench he was sitting on tightly.

" _To kill Harry Potter now would be a mercy. He cannot die until he has suffered as I have suffered, until he has known complete despair. And he will!"_

Suddenly, the Goblet's flames turned a bright crimson once more before another name erupted with more force than any of the previous three. Harry wasn't breathing anymore and deep inside… he knew what was about to happen. A knot formed in his stomach as the little piece of paper gracefully flew towards Dumbledore, it's noiseless journey signaling the herald of some kind of impending doom Harry could feel in the offing.

" _My lord, he has informed me that his task was successfully completed. He is in the perfect position to secure the brat."_

The paper started floating down and Dumbledore caught it as soon as it was in reach. Harry felt Hermione's hand gripping his arm harder than ever before. Her touch colder than he ever recalled feeling, like she too felt chilled to her bones as if she instinctively knew what was about to happen, just as he did.

" _Tell my most faithful not to interfere during the tasks, I need him in his position at Hogwarts during the tasks. If the boy doesn't survive then we'll deal with that later, but my most faithful is critical to my return, without him the whole plan crumbles."_

Dumbledore slowly flipped the paper and read what it said, his face a mask hiding whatever he was feeling. Harry's heart was thundering in his chest, his grip on the bench tightened more and as much as he tried to, he couldn't start breathing again.

He didn't know how, but his brain finally managed to remember the last part of his vision. The one that he'd been trying to remember for these past few weeks with no avail.

" _Soon, we'll see what you're made of, Potter! I do hope you survive the tournament, I can't wait for the chance to destroy you! Piece by piece!"_

He closed his eyes and swallowed a lump rising in his throat, as if containing a storm threatening to break from somewhere within him, he noticed Dumbledore was yet to speak and Hermione had now held his hand in between both of hers. Opening his eyes he looked at her and they shared a silent look that spoke volumes and she could tell what was happening, what was about to happen; just like he did, how she shared his feelings and her eyes carried so many emotions he could barely name them all.

His eyes turned to Dumbledore, still holding the little slip with steady hands but he could tell the old wizard's grip on it was ironclad and at that moment their eyes met from across the hall and he felt like he saw a flash of an emotion, akin to sorrow and regret and something else but it was gone just as quickly from the centenarian's face.

Before Dumbledore could yell out the name in the parchment, Harry knew it was _his_. Inside, he'd known for a while, he was just denying it even though his dreams pretty much spelled it out for him. So it was no surprise, when Dumbledore's hushed whisper could be heard throughout the Great Hall.

"Harry Potter."

* * *

_Nonononononononono! This isn't happening! This can't be happening! Harry didn't put his name in! He promised me he wouldn't! How is this happening!?_

Hermione was in full panic mode. She couldn't believe it, Harry's been forced into the tournament. It never crossed Hermione's mind that Harry would break her promise to her and join the tournament. Harry has never lied to her, he wouldn't start now. Especially to join a tournament after she made it pretty clear it was the last thing she wanted him to do.

Not only was she sure Harry would never lie to her like that, but she also knew that nobody had managed to trick Dumbledore's age line. And even if he managed to get past the age line, the Goblet of Fire was still a very old and powerful magical artifact. There's no way that Harry could be able to trick the Goblet into accepting him as a fourth champion. _There's just no way Harry entered himself into this bloody tournament!_

Which only left one option, one worse than Harry being an idiot… he was being set-up.

It shouldn't surprise her at this point. Every year Harry had managed to get himself into a situation where he nearly lost his life. But this was probably the deadliest attempt yet, even counting the sixty foot basilisk. And the worst part was that there was nothing she could do to help him.

She couldn't get him out of this tournament. She couldn't be there with him as he faced whatever he was going to face. She couldn't be there to protect him like she always was, one way or another. That's what scared her, because for the first time… she felt powerless as her best friend - the man she loved - was basically handed a death sentence.

"Harry Potter." Professor Dumbledore's voice brought her out of her thoughts, but it didn't stop her from panicking. It was only now that she realized that she was holding Harry's arm in a death grip.

Harry seemed to be also brought out of his thoughts because he instinctively turned towards her.

"Hermione… I swear I didn't!" He pleaded with her as he grabbed her left hand gently.

Hermione couldn't react, she felt as helpless as when she was petrified. She was there, present, and could hear and see everything that was happening. But was powerless to help. And even when she was petrified, she managed to help him by giving him the page that solved the puzzle of the chamber. Now, there was nothing she could do except stare at him with a concerned expression as the image of a battered, broken, and bloody Harry in the forest came to her mind.

Before she could react, Hermione saw Harry turning to look at Ron, sitting across from them.

"Ron, I swear I didn't!" Harry pleaded with the redhead and Hermione saw his expression shift into one of fear and devastation.

That change of expressions made her turn away from Harry to look at Ron and saw that he was glaring at Harry with the vilest and dirtiest look she had seen from him.

"I swear-" Harry began to plead again but was interrupted by Professor Dumbledore.

"Harry, please proceed to the chamber with the other champions." Professor Dumbledore's soft voice sounded throughout the whole Hall.

Hermione saw Harry school his features into a blank expression before standing up, his hand slowly parting from hers as he started walking towards the head table. Hermione was suddenly reminded of the fact that there were reporters when camera flashes started going off rapidly as Harry was walking towards Dumbledore. Hermione thought it couldn't get worse… but she was dead wrong.

"CHEATER!" She heard a boy roar from the Hufflepuff table.

"LIAR!" A girl from Ravenclaw shouted.

"COWARD!" A boy from Gryffindor yelled.

"ATTENTION SEEKING FRAUD!" A Slytherin joined.

In an instant, everyone in the Great Hall was standing up and throwing insults at Harry and she watched as Harry just kept moving forward, his shoulders slumped and his head down. She wanted to shout at them to stop, to leave him alone, to convince them he didn't put his name in the Goblet, but could only watch distraught as everyone turned on Harry.

She saw a boy step on the Hufflepuff table and throw a piece of food directly at the back of his head. Knowing Harry, he could have easily dodged it, but she was sure he kept moving just accepting how everyone abused him. Another boy, this time from Slytherin, threw another piece of food as he was approaching Professor Dumbledore, but was stopped by a shield.

Everyone turned to look at Professor Dumbledore, who had his wand out and Hermione connected that he was the one that shielded Harry. Everyone must've also realized that since the Hall was plunged into silence, but Hermione was more focused on Professor Dumbledore's expression. It wasn't his usual grandfatherly face she was accustomed to, but a face full of cold fury that reminded everyone in the Hall that he was the man that defeated Grindelwald and the only one Voldemort feared.

Hermione herself was afraid of Professor Dumbledore's expression but couldn't help but realize that she'd seen that expression before, she saw it on the Hogwarts Express a few months ago when Harry stood up against Malfoy and his cronies.

"Students will go to their dormitories. The feast is over." Professor Dumbledore called out in a calm yet cold voice and immediately everyone at the four tables of the Great Hall nodded and started walking towards the entrance while Professor Dumbledore whispered something to Harry as he motioned towards the chamber.

The Great Hall emptied at a speed Hermione had never seen, with only a few stragglers left after less than a minute. Almost all the teachers had gone to the chamber, the reporters had fled as soon as possible, probably to manage to get the news of Harry joining the tournament for the morning issue, and only a few students and teachers remained.

She turned towards Ron, who was still seated, and she saw he still had a permanent scowl fixed on his face, one that would rival Snape's.

Ron stood up and began walking towards the exit.

"Ron! Where are you going!?" Hermione demanded.

"Where do you think? To the common room." He answered coldly.

"We have to wait for Harry! He'll need us!" Hermione yelled, infuriated at how Ron was taking this.

He scoffed at her. "Of course you want to wait for Potter. I bet you want to congratulate him for making champion."

"What the hell are you talking about, Ronald!?" Hermione screeched, unknowingly catching the attention of the few teachers and students that were left. "We both know Harry didn't put his name in the Goblet!"

"Of course he didn't. Potter's just so great that the Goblet didn't even need for him to enter the tournament for it to choose him." He remarked sarcastically.

"Get your head out of your arse! Harry's our friend and he needs us! He doesn't need a jealous prat! Harry didn't want to enter in this stupid tournament! He wasn't the one that spent fawning about it for a month! He promised he wouldn't try it and I believe him! You're just pissed because you couldn't be the one that's in the tournament!"

Hermione saw from the corner of her eye that Professor McGonagall was making her way towards them but she didn't care and continued. She was outraged at how Ron was acting, especially since Harry was in very real danger of dying.

"Harry told you! This tournament isn't a game! And you're just pissed you didn't get your fifteen minutes of fame while Harry will have to fight for his life for a tournament he didn't even want to compete in! So stop being a shit friend for once in your life!"

Ron glared at her. "You're only saying that because you want to snog him. I guess now that he's a champion you want it even more."

While Hermione hadn't admitted her feelings for Harry to Ron, or anyone apart from Lavender and Parvati, she wasn't about to deny them.

"Don't you dare, Ronald! Don't you dare say that I only love Harry because of his fame! He's my best friend and someone who's always stood by me! I'm not a shallow, immature, prat that cares about money and fame more than about their friends and family!"

Ron was about to retort only to be interrupted by Professor McGonagall.

"Mr Weasley! Miss Granger! Go to your dormitories, now!" Professor McGonagall scolded.

Ron glared once more at Hermione before walking out of the Great Hall. Hermione turned towards Professor McGonagall, lifted her chin and gave her her most determined expression. "I'm staying here to wait for Harry."

"No, Miss Granger. You're going to the Gryffindor Common room right now." Professor McGonagall stated matter-of-factly.

"No, I'm waiting for Harry." She said defiantly.

"10 points from Gryffindor, Miss Granger." Professor McGonagall scolded. "We don't know how much time Harry will be there with the others. You will go to your common room and if you wish to talk to him, you can do it there when he arrives."

Hermione wanted to protest, to defy her and stay there waiting for Harry. But she knew that Professor McGonagall wasn't going to back down. Hermione glared at the person she used to consider her favourite professor.

"Fine."

And with that, she turned around and walked angrily out of the Great Hall. She was way past pissed, she couldn't believe Ron would do that to Harry. The person who is supposed to be his friend. The person that risked his life to save his sister down at the Chamber of Secrets. The person that had always sided with Ron, even against her!

She needed to calm down. She wouldn't be any help to Harry if she was fuming. She decided to take a calming bath in her dorm before going down to the common room and wait for Harry. She needed to assure him that she believed him, that she wanted to help him, and that he wasn't alone.

* * *

Harry was descending the stairs down the chamber to join the other champions. He started recalling what just happened. When he saw Hermione he could only see concern for him but didn't answer when he pleaded with her. At first he thought this was a bad response, but it was probably the best. She didn't say if she believed him or not, but at least she was concerned about him.

Ron… Ron's glare was something he didn't want to to think about. He had never seen Ron that angry and for some reason, it reminded him of when Uncle Vernon got angry at him. Ron was looking at him as if he was a liar, a traitor, a coward, a piece of shit, a… a _freak_. He was hoping that when he next saw Ron, he would have calmed down. That he would believe him.

Then things got worse as the whole school turned against him. Calling him a cheater, an attention seeking fraud, a liar. It all reminded him of how his uncle used to shout at him.

_Freak!_

_Boy!_

And even though a part of him was telling him to fight back, to defend himself. For some reason he couldn't. It was as if his brain wouldn't let him. So he took the verbal insults, he took the physical blows, and continued walking.

He wanted to shout, to destroy a few dummies, to cry. But he knew better. He'd learnt not to show his emotions to others when he was with the Dursleys. So he put on his blank face he'd mastered before he even got to Hogwarts and walked past all the professors.

Even they were glaring at him. But he wouldn't let it bother him. He was slowly going into his subspace he'd developed in Privet Drive and was not about to show weakness. Not to the other students, not to the teachers, not to the other champions, not even to Dumbledore.

Before his thoughts could continue he had finished walking down the stairs and saw Cedric, Krum, and the Beauxbatons champion gathered around the fire. Krum was seated on an armchair, a pensive expression on his face. Cedric was pacing in front of the fire and the girl, Fleur, was just standing there elegantly, waiting for whatever was going to happen.

The first one to notice him was Fleur and she walked towards him.

"What is it? Do zey want us back in ze Hall?"

"No. I'm sure they'll be here any minute now." He said tonelessly.

"Zen what are you doing here?" She asked as Krum stood up from his brooding and he and Cedric walked towards them.

"My name came out of the Goblet." He said in the same tone.

"What!?" Cedric demanded. "You managed to put your name in the Goblet!?"

"I didn't put my name in." He said glaring at him, daring him to contradict him.

While he and Cedric had always had a good relationship, he wasn't about to beg him to believe him. He was only planning on trying to convince Hermione and Ron. The rest he didn't care.

Cedric looked at him, disbelief clear on his face, before he gave a tight nod. The four teens stayed quiet for a minute, the three champions retook their previous places while Harry began pacing on the other side of the room.

The sound of yells and feet stomping down the stairs brought their attention to the massive group of adults. In the front were the three headmasters, with Maxime and Karkaroff yelling at a calm, yet solemn, Dumbledore. Behind him a couple of teachers descended the stairs, Moody, Snape, Flitwick, and Sprout. And on the back were a group of ministry officials. Fudge, who had a feral smile on his face, the two other ministers on either side of him, and Bagman and Crouch.

"Madame Maxime!" Fleur called out. "What eez zis about zis little boy being a champion!"

_Little boy!?_

_Talk about insult to injury!_

"Excuse me?" He called out in a cold voice.

Harry saw that everyone turned to look at him and most of them were taken aback by his expression. Fleur decided to ignore him and looked towards her Headmistress.

"I would also like to know Dumbly-dorr! How eez it zat 'Ogwart's 'as two champions?" She demanded.

"Yes," Karkaroff said while moving towards Dumbledore. "I would also like to know. After all, it was your age line that was supposed to prevent under age people from joining the tournament."

"Now," Snape's voice drawled. "Don't blame Albus, Karkaroff. This is clearly Potter's fault. He's always been an attention seeking brat. It's not Albus's fault that he decided to ignore the rules… as usual."

Harry gave a hollow laugh at that. "That's rich Snivellous. The Death Eater calling me a rule breaker."

"You see Albus!" Fudge cried out. "This kid calls anyone he doesn't like a Death Eater. And you wanted me to take his accusation seriously towards Lucius."

"Still as useless as usual Fudge. You tried to get an innocent man kissed while protecting Death Eaters. I wonder how many of them constantly laugh behind your back at your idiocy."

"I'm Minister of Magic, boy! Who the hell do you think you are!" Yelled an incensed Fudge.

"I'M THE MAN THAT HAS FACED VOLDEMORT! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?"

Fudge lost his composure momentarily and he saw except for Dumbledore, most everyone in the room went pale as the colour drained from their faces at the mere mention of that monster's name and he had never felt more disgusted with the adults in the magical world until now. Harry glared back before turning to look at Dumbledore.

"How you're going to fix this!" He demanded.

"Harry, did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

"No." He replied coldly

"Did you ask an older student to put your name in the Goblet of Fire?"

"No."

Dumbledore turned around to the other adults. "I have full confidence in Mr Potter. If he says he didn't do it, I trust that he didn't do it."

"Ze boy is clearly lying Dumbly-dorr!" Madame Maxime yelled out. "'E clearly wants the money and glory!"

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree on that assessment. As I said, Harry has my full confidence." Dumbledore stated calmly and everyone shut up, the very oxygen sucked out of the room momentarily, though Harry noticed none of them looked convinced.

Harry had just come to a troubling conclusion, one about a hunch, a theory he had had but discarded owing to his faith in his headmaster, and now with his mind spinning he couldn't even take solace in Dumbledore helping him.

"Wait. Did you just say I could've entered by asking another student to put my name!?" He asked incredulously.

"See, Dumbledore! The kid clearly wanted to join the tournament! Hogwarts can't be allowed to have two champions!" Karkaroff snarled.

Harry ignored him and kept watching Dumbledore. "Are you saying that anyone could have entered my name as long as they were of age!?"

Dumbledore gave a small, sad sigh. "I'm afraid so, Harry."

"I warned you Dumbledore! I told you that **he** was interested in the tournament! I told you that **he** had someone on the inside! But **you** said we couldn't do anything about it!" Harry snarled.

Dumbledore didn't have to say anything. The regret was clear on his face.

"What is the meaning of this Dumbledore!? I'm Minister of Magic, I demand to know what is going on!" Fudge cried out, but both Harry and Dumbledore ignored him.

Dumbledore turned to Crouch.

"What can we do Barty?" He asked the man.

Crouch turned to look at Harry, a grave expression on his face.

"I'm afraid the rules are absolute, Albus. As you know, the moment the Goblet spits out a name a magically binding contract is drawn. I'm afraid Mr Potter has no choice. As of this moment, he is… a Triwizard Champion."

The whole chamber was incredibly quiet as soon as Crouch stopped talking. Harry couldn't help himself. He barked out a hollow laugh that was the only sound present in the chamber. Everyone turned to look at Harry with puzzled expressions.

"Do you think this is funny, boy!" Fudge demanded.

"I think this is hilarious." Harry deadpanned. "What's not funny about this. I now have to participate in a tournament that will probably kill me and if I don't, I'll die." Nobody seemed to find it funny and Harry turned towards Bagman and Crouch. "How can you idiots fuck up this badly! Just by someone putting my name I have to compete! What the FUCK WHERE YOU THINKING!?"

Bagman looked like he was about to come up with an excuse so Harry interrupted before he could.

"You know what, I don't care. I'll compete in your fucking tournament! Just tell me what I need to know about the first task!" He demanded coldly and Bagman twitched nervously in front of him.

"Well… err," The ex-beater started. "The task is the twenty fourth of November."

"Yes, I know that you idiot! What else! What will I face? What does it consist of?" Harry asked impatiently and could see from the corner of his eye the other champions paying close attention.

"Well… since the task is supposed to measure your courage and adaptability… you'll… er… walk in blind."

Harry blinked. Then blinked again. Then blinked one more time and considered pinching himself because he couldn't believe what he just heard.

He asked the man, slowly, carefully enunciating each word he uttered.

"So. Basically. What you're telling me. Is that in twenty four days. I. A fourteen year old. Will walk in blind into a death trap? Not even a clue as to what the task is about?" He asked and couldn't keep his astonishment out of his tone despite his best attempt.

"Ummm…" the man simply simpered not meeting his eye… he saw the other champions and noted their reactions. They might not believe him but this development clearly didn't sit well with either of them as well. He would have commiserated, if he could bring himself to care about anything at this moment except for his own volley of emotions.

"You know what, forget it. It's clear you idiots couldn't organize a tournament to save your lives."

"You will start speaking to your betters with respect, Potter!" Fudge spat out.

"OR WHAT!? YOU'LL EXPEL ME FROM THE SCHOOL OR THIS THRICE DAMNED TOURNAMENT!?" Harry roared his eyes shooting daggers at the man. "I'm not wasting my time like this. It's clear you idiots can't do shit to help me."

And with that, Harry walked across the chamber, up the stairs, exited the Great Hall and as soon as he was in a place where he thought no one could find him, he collapsed to the ground, his back against the wall as his hands and legs trembled in the fear he managed to repress back there. His breathing hard as his heart was blasting inside of his chest.

He tried his best to calm down but couldn't, fear of dying in the bloody tournament flooding his system. He managed to repress the tears of fear that were starting to form in his eyes, but couldn't stop losing control of his jaw as he gave inaudible sobs while he was rocking back and forth.

"Harry," A soft voice called out and he looked up to see Dumbledore there looking at him with concern.

Harry scrubbed his face with his hands before standing up, his hands and knees still shaking. Without saying a word to Dumbledore, he turned around and started walking towards the common room.

"Harry," Dumbledore spoke once again and Harry stopped on his tracks. "Please accompany me to my office. I want to discuss something with you."

Harry's first instinct was to say no and go back towards the common room, but right now he didn't want to see any one of his classmates, Ron coming to mind. He turned around and gave Dumbledore a curt nod. Both walked in silence towards his office and after a few minutes they were seated on each side of Dumbledore's desk.

Dumbledore grabbed a piece of parchment and wrote a small note.

"Fawkes," He called out tiredly and the bird perched himself on Dumbledore's shoulder. "Please take this to Sirius, wake him if he's asleep. This is urgent."

The phoenix grabbed the note and disappeared in a flash of fire. Both men stayed silent for a minute before Dumbledore broke it.

"Harry, I'm truly sorry about this." The regret clear in his voice

"Sorry doesn't change anything, Headmaster. I'm still competing either way." Harry said hollowly

"I know. But I want you to know that I'm truly sorry. You warned me but I never thought Tom would possibly be able to get you while here at Hogwarts."

Harry gave a nod of acknowledgement at the Headmaster. After all, not only was the regret clear in his voice, but he also defended him multiple times in the previous half hour. While his perfect image of Dumbledore crumbled to the ground, he could now see that Dumbledore was also human, he made mistakes as well.

They spent another minute silent before the Professor spoke again.

"I also wanted to talk to you about our occlumency lessons, Harry." When Dumbledore gave his nod of acknowledgment, the old man continued. "I know I promised you that we would keep up these lessons throughout the year, but unfortunately the Goblet and its binding contract is absolute. I'm afraid the Goblet would see these lessons as breaking the rules, causing consequences for both of us."

 _Perfect. Just when I thought things couldn't get worse._ He thought sarcastically but held his tongue. He understood the consequences Dumbledore was speaking of and didn't want to risk his life for a couple of occlumency lessons.

Just that moment, Fawkes reappeared in the room and gave Dumbledore another note, Harry recognized the chicken scratch as his godfather's handwriting. When Dumbledore finished reading, he went to the fireplace and cast some spells to it before sitting back down once again where both men were silent.

After five minutes the fireplace roared in green fire and Remus and Sirius stepped out of it, with Sirius immediately coming to his side and hugging him. After hugging both Sirius and Remus, maintaining his facade up since he didn't feel comfortable dropping it with Dumbledore there, he sat back down.

"What is this Albus! You told me there was an emergency and I came right away." Sirius demanded.

"I'm afraid, Sirius, that Harry has been entered, without his consent, into the Triwizard Tournament." Harry saw all of Sirius's blood leave his face as he became incredibly pale, Moony not far behind him. "I had a conversation with Barty Crouch and he told me that there's nothing we can do. If Harry doesn't compete, the Goblet will see it as breaking the rules. Since the Goblet is a magically binding contract, I'm sure you know the consequences of what would happen if Harry doesn't compete." Dumbledore said gravely.

"Have you found out who put Harry into the Tournament?" Remus asked seriously.

"Unfortunately not." Dumbledore answered.

"Albus, could you give us a few moments alone with Harry?" Sirius asked, to which Dumbledore nodded. He stood up and moved towards Harry, placing a hand on his shoulder and saying, "I'm truly sorry, Harry." before stepping out of the room.

As soon as Dumbledore was gone, Sirius turned Harry's chair so that it was facing him and kneeled down in front of him.

"Harry, did you put your name on the Goblet of Fire?" Sirius asked calmly while Moony was standing behind him.

"No. Sirius I swear I didn't. I don't know who did. You have to believe me." Harry pleaded.

Sirius grabbed both of Harry's shoulders. "Hey, it's ok Harry. I believe you. I just had to ask, it's just something James and I would have done and I needed to make sure."

Harry just nodded, relieved he believed him. He looked at Sirius and noted he still had a grim expression on his face. His godfather seemed lost in thought for a while before he spoke up.

"Harry, things out there aren't getting better. The rumours I've heard, the attack at the Quidditch World Cup, and now your name coming out of the Goblet of Fire. These aren't coincidences, they're connected events." Sirius paused before looking at him in the eye. "Have you had any other type of vision about Voldemort?" He asked him.

It was just now that Harry realized that he hadn't told Sirius and Remus about his vision and he immediately relayed everything, including what he managed to remember only an hour ago.

"What do you think?" He asked both men who once again looked pale.

"I honestly don't know Harry, but this just confirms what I thought. Hogwarts isn't safe anymore." He said gravely.

"What do you mean? Do you think the Death Eater, the one that Voldemort said will be at the three tasks, do you think he's at Hogwarts?"

"Yes. Voldemort would definitely want him close to you and Hogwarts this year is extremely unprotected with everyone coming in and out. But he wouldn't be the only one. The dangers are now inside the castle Harry. I already told you how Snape used to be a Death Eater, and no matter how much Dumbledore trusts that man, I will never trust him. And then there's Igor Karkaroff, he used to be a Death Eater as well before he sold out others to gain his freedom, but once you're a Death Eater, you never stop being a Death Eater, Harry."

"So you think it's one of them? Either Snape or Karkaroff put my name into the Goblet of Fire?"

"No, those are just the Death Eaters that are currently in the castle that I know about. After Peter… I don't think I can trust people the same anymore, I can't be confident about where their loyalties lie. But the way you said Voldemort speaks of the other Death Eater, the one he calls 'his most faithful', it seems like they have a fanatical devotion to him, something that neither Snape nor Karkaroff has. No, this is a new player, but I'm not sure who it is and where they are at this moment."

"So are you telling me that then this person has to be an older student from one of the other schools! That's the only way he could have entered the castle!"

"Not necessarily," Remus broke in speaking in that tone he adapted to as a teacher last year, his mind clearly running a mile a minute and Harry could see why his godfather called the quiet man the brains of the Marauders. "There are many ways of infiltrating the castle. Polyjuice Potion,the imperius curse, animagus, invisibility cloaks, human transfiguration."

"Exactly," Sirius agreed. "Don't limit your searches only to the students from other schools. As of now, everyone that is living inside the wards is a suspect. Teachers, the other Gryffindors, students from other houses, the teachers and students from the other schools, hell, even Filch is a suspect. Everyone is a suspect, Harry. You can't trust anyone. You need to keep both eyes open. See who's trying to get more involved in your life, try to see if people you know have had changes in behaviour. Keep your friends close, Harry. I don't know what Voldemort wants but you being in the tournament is a big part of that plan. I need you to be careful."

"Is there any way we can know if someone is a polyjuice using imposter or imperiused? Is there anything I can do?" Harry pleaded.

"No, there's no way to know if someone is imperiused and the only way for polyjuice is to wait until the hour's up. You need to focus on surviving the tasks. Just keep anyone you don't know trying to get too close to you away and focus on surviving the tasks." Sirius said solemnly

"I can't do this!" Harry broke down, looking at both men. "I'm not ready for this, I won't be able to survive! I'm only fourteen, what am I supposed to do!?"

Sirius enveloped him in a hug and he gripped his godfather tightly while Remus put a hand on his shoulder as a way to show his solidarity.

"Harry," Sirius began after he parted from the hug. "You can do this. Focus on your training. Remus and I will send you more books for you to study. Right now, you need to focus on surviving and your training is the best way to do it."

Harry nodded gravely, schooling his features into one of determination. His godfather and uncle gave him a hug each.

"Be safe, Harry. Keep your friends close and don't trust anyone." Sirius said.

Harry nodded, he didn't have the heart to tell them about Ron's, his best friend's reaction, the two men were already greatly stressed out.

"Now, you better get back to the common room. It's getting late. Could you tell Dumbledore to come inside? We want to talk with him about a few things before we go." Remus asked.

"Sure." He began to walk towards the door before stopping and looking back as he grabbed the handle. "Thanks. For being here." Harry said and tried to give them a smile.

"Anytime Harry." Remus said with a smile.

"Don't forget to give us a call through the mirror and ask us if you need anything." Sirius said.

Harry nodded and stepped outside. He walked down the staircase and saw Dumbledore talking to Snape. Dumbledore turned around and gave him a small smile.

"Everything ok, Harry?" He asked gently.

"Yes, sir. They're waiting for you in your office. They told me they want to talk to you." He turned to look at the sneering git. "Alone."

"Of course, Harry."

Harry nodded to Dumbledore without even looking again at Snape and made his way towards the Gryffindor tower. Right now, this was the last place he wanted to be at. After how the whole school turned against him, he wished he could be alone for the night and not face them until the morning.

A few minutes later he stood in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady. He mustered all of his Gryffindor courage and got into his defensive subspace just like he did before entering the chamber. After telling the Fat Lady the password, the portrait opened and Harry stepped inside.

It didn't take long for everyone to start giving him glares and sneers. He looked around the common room and didn't see either Ron or Hermione and immediately thought the worst. He spotted the Quidditch team (and Lee) huddled in a corner and he made his way to them.

When he arrived there he noticed the conversation stopped and everyone turned to look at him. He was beginning to regret this until he heard Katie.

"Hey, how are you?" She asked softly.

Harry shrugged his shoulders as everyone looked at him with weird expressions.

"I didn't put my name in." He suddenly blurted out after a pause. "You… you believe me… right?"

Harry looked at everyone and he saw it in their eyes. None of them believed him. Not even Katie. He didn't know why, but them not believing him hurt more than when the whole Great Hall was insulting him.

"Of course," Katie spoke up. "We believe you."

Everyone nodded in agreement but Harry had learnt how to read deception in people and they clearly didn't believe him.

"Thanks." He said, and he was thankful that at least they were being cordial with him instead of glaring and yelling. He gave them a small smile before continuing. "I'm going to bed. Night."

Without waiting for them to answer back, he turned around and began walking up the stairs to his dorm room. He entered and saw that it was empty, thanking whatever entity made it so he began walking towards his bed before hearing a voice filled with hate.

"So, how does it feel to be a Champion, Potter?"

Harry immediately tensed as all the anger flooded back to him again. He turned around and saw Ron watching him, the same glare he had at the feast.

"I wouldn't know. I'm not a champion. At least not a willing one as I didn't put my name in the Goblet."

Ron scoffed at him.

"Of course, you can't even admit that you did it. You can't admit that you lied to me and Hermione about how you didn't want to enter. It took me some time to realize, but Snape was right. You're nothing more than an attention seeking brat."

Harry's heart dropped at the mention of Hermione. He couldn't bear the thought of her not believing him, it would destroy him. But that didn't make him stop in his confrontation with Ron.

"That's rich. You're the one that's been constantly saying how you wanted to enter the tournament. How you wanted the recognition, the glory, the gold. And now **I'm** the attention seeking brat?"

"You could have told me," Ron started, completely ignoring what Harry said. "But you wanted the glory all for yourself. The Great Harry Potter. Is it not enough that everyone knows your name? That everyone knows how great you are? Isn't it enough to be famous and to not have to think about small things like money because you're loaded?"

"In case you forgot Ron, the only reason I'm loaded is because my parents were murdered by a madman. In case you forgot, I had to spend ten years living in the hellhole that was my uncle's house. In case you forgot, I've nearly been killed at least four times these past three years. In case you forgot, I never wanted to join this stupid tournament. And in case you forgot, the whole school is against me."

"Poor Harry Potter. He has to live life a little hard to have all the gold and girls he could ever want. Merlin, stop whining like a bitch. We both know you're loving all the attention you're receiving." Ron sneered coldly.

"A LITTLE HARD!? YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HARD IS! YOU'VE SPENT YOUR WHOLE LIFE LIVING WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT A HARD LIFE IS! YOU'RE A SHALLOW, IMMATURE, ASSHOLE THAT IS FEELING SAD BECAUSE HE'S THE LEAST RECOGNIZABLE WEASLEY!"

"AND YOU'RE A TRAITOROUS, ATTENTION SEEKING, BRAT THAT CAN'T GET OVER THE FACT HE LOST HIS MUMMY AND DADDY AND ALWAYS BROODS ABOUT NOT HAVING A FAMILY EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE EVERYTHING ELSE YOU COULD EVER WANT!"

Harry saw red and exploded.

He leapt at Ron and punched him in the jaw. Ron immediately tackled him and started hitting him, but he only got one punch in as he managed to block the other one and headbutted him. With Ron staggering backwards he leapt at him and started hitting at him. One, two, three punches. Harry could feel his fists getting bloodied as he continued hitting the redhead.

All his fury unleashing at the boy he once considered his best friend. Years of practice of being the target of Harry hunting coming to his aid, of bullies twice his size using their weight and strength to their advantage on him. Harry might not have their size or weight but he had adrenaline and rage on his side that allowed him to use all the moves that were once aimed at him on someone else, on Ron.

"Harry, stop!" He heard Neville's voice call out but he didn't stop hitting Ron a couple more times before he was pulled back by Neville and Seamus from the bloodied mess that was Ronald Weasley.

"GET OFF !" Harry yelled and managed to yank his hands free.

"Harry calm down." Neville tried reasoning while blocking the door out of the dormitory. Harry shoved him out of the way, descended the stairs to the common room and left Gryffindor tower, heading off towards the room to let off some steam.

* * *

"Hermione! Hermione! HERMIONE!" Lavender hollered as she pounded on the bathroom door, furiously.

"WHAT!?" Hermione yelled back. She was just getting out of her shower and hadn't even finished changing before she heard Lavender yelling at her.

"Hermione! Get out of there now! It's an emergency!"

"What's so damn important!?" Hermione yelled back, as she still wasn't in the mood to deal with other people.

"It's Harry!"

Hermione stopped and got out of the bathroom quickly putting on her bathrobe only to find Lavender and Parvati waiting outside.

"Is he OK!? What is it!? What happened!?"

"I… err… Neville. He didn't tell me much. He'll explain but you need to go down to the common room quickly."

Hermione nodded before going back to the bathroom and changing into Harry's quidditch jersey she had kept and used as a makeshift top at nights, hoping it would show her support she didn't manage to show earlier. Thankfully she had already combed her hair since she started following her mother's advice and doing it when wet and letting it dry off naturally.

She sprinted down the stairs and almost crashed into Neville who was waiting for her. Before he could even say a word she began firing questions.

"Where's Harry!? Is he OK!? What happened!?" She caught the quiet boy by the arms, not realising the strength of her grip in her panic induced state.

"Hermione!" Neville almost yelled, managing to break her out of her rambling without batting an eye at the outfit she'd used regularly these past couple of weeks. He continued when she calmed down and let go of him. "He had an argument with Ron… Hermione, it was bad. _Really, really bad._ He stormed out of the common room a few minutes ago, nobody saw where he went."

Hermione began thinking of all the places he could have gone when she remembered about the room he showed her earlier in the year.

"Thanks Neville!" She said before sprinting out of the tower and towards the room.

* * *

"REDUCTO!" Harry roared for the unpteeth time in the past three minutes.

The curse shot out of his wand and hit the battle dummy straight in the face, completely obliterating it. Around him were the remains of the dozens of dummies he had destroyed in a fit of rage, and every time he destroyed one, the room summoned another one for him to demolish.

"REDUCTO! OSSIUM EFFRINGO! CONLIDAM OMNINO!"

Harry kept shouting over and over again, his voice getting hoarse with each successive spell destroying ever dummy while his mind put Ron's face on each body. He didn't know how much time he spent cursing away the rage that had been eating him up inside for so long.

He wasn't just blasting away his anger at Ron, at the bloody tournament, at the school shunning him, at everyone he knew abandoning him. He was also blasting away all the anger he'd developed during his time at the Dursleys, all the anger against his relatives and Dudley's gang, all the anger of how Sirius and Remus were on the run, all the anger of how everyone accused him of being the heir of Slytherin.

For the first time in his life, he finally allowed himself to vent that anger. And he did. He cursed, hexed, and destroyed every dummy he could until finally the tiredness started coming to him and he dropped down to his knees, hollering in rage.

He was panting heavily and finally the tears started coming out. The tears mourning the death of his friendship with Ron. The tears of his fear of the tournament. And the tears of helplessness as he couldn't do anything to stop it all from crumbling down.

"Harry…" He stiffened at the sound of the voice he loved, whispering from behind him.

He didn't dare look back, all the fear he felt as to whatever Hermione's reaction would be flooded his system.

"Harry," Harry felt Hermione kneel in front of him and lay a hand on his shoulder. He was surprised when he didn't recoil from it and instead accepted it. But the fear of her reaction was still there.

"Please… don't." He choked out, surprised at how his voice sounded.

"Don't what?" He heard Hermione ask, he thought he could detect a slight fear in it but wasn't sure.

"Please… not today. I can't lose another friend today." He choked out, still not daring to look back.

"What?" She asked puzzled and concerned.

"Please. Shout at me, punch me, tell me you hate me… just not today. Please." He pleaded in a hoarse whisper.

He heard Hermione suck in a harsh breath a moment later but didn't look at her, afraid of what was about to happen.

"Harry…" Hermione's voice was soft and kind when she spoke finally after a while. "Please look at me."

Harry shook his head in negation. Looking at Hermione would make her anger real and he couldn't cope with that right now. He couldn't lose the most important person in his life.

"Harry," Hermione repeated as she physically tried to move him to face her... and he let her, not even able to deny her that.

His body slowly moved to face her but he kept his head down. Not long after his body was fully facing hers, he felt Hermione's hand lift his chin up to look at her. Her touch firm but gentle, he didn't quite know what to make of it. It was then he realized she was wearing _his_ quidditch jersey, but he didn't allow himself to hope. Hermione moved her hand from his chin to his cheek and caressed it gently, giving him a soft smile.

"I could never hate you, Harry." She said softly as he avoided her eyes.

Even though she was telling him explicitly that she didn't hate him, he didn't allow himself to believe her.

"Why?" He asked in a hoarse whisper. "You think I put my name in the Goblet, everyone thinks so. Why wouldn't you hate me?"

"Because I know you didn't put your name in." She said firmly but gently with such conviction he was overcome with the feelings her belief stirred in him.

No. He wouldn't let himself believe it. He couldn't face her rejection and if he allowed himself to believe her it would hurt even worse.

"How?" He choked out.

"Because you promised, Harry." She said as if it was obvious.

Harry didn't want to allow himself to believe it. But he looked at Hermione in the eyes for the first time. He didn't see a shred of deception, not a shred of anger nor hurt, not even pity. Her eyes were filled with sincerity, determination, understanding, and, dare he imagine, love.

 _She believes me!_ His mind shouted. Immediately all the feeling of dread left him and for the first time since he walked into the Great Hall, he felt a warmth come from within. He acted on impulse as he eliminated the distance between them and locked his lips with Hermione's in a gentle kiss.

It took him about two seconds to realize what he was doing and that Hermione wasn't reciprocating and he immediately ended the kiss, pulling away from her.

"Hermione I- mph"

His apology was interrupted when Hermione basically pounced on him, knocking both of them to the ground, as she kissed him and he happily complied and kissed her back. The kiss at first was gentle and soft. But it quickly became heated, needy, lustful. After some time he felt Hermione's tongue pressing against his lips and he opened them, allowing her access.

Their tongues battled for dominance as the two deepened the kiss, but after a few seconds he finally yielded (the only one he'd happily lose against forever) and allowed her to explore his mouth with her tongue. He felt his excitement grow but was too far gone to care, all coherent thought was lost to him ever since she deepened the kiss. He felt himself moan into her mouth and as soon as he did, he felt Hermione smile into the kiss briefly as if pleased with herself for drawing that sound out of him, before she resumed snogging him passionately again, making him drift off to a blissful heaven.

He had lost all concept of time, the feeling of his lips against hers, her tongue inside of his mouth, his hands on top of her waist and over her back while hers where needily grabbing his hair and ran over his shoulders and the sides of his neck and then she made a sound that went straight through him. At some point he lost his glasses but she was close, so close, closer than she ever had been to him and he could see her perfectly and that's all that mattered to him. It was so intoxicating, and they continued like this, their stimulating, blissful snogging until they couldn't breathe anymore and reluctantly parted.

Hermione leaned her forehead on top of his and looked at him in the eyes, hers definitely filled with love and a little desire blended in, with a light smirk on her lips that made Harry's insides shiver with pleasure.

"Took you long enough." She said breathlessly in a husky voice but Harry asked her what came to his mind instead.

"You believe me?" He asked, his incredulous voice showing a hint of pleading.

"Of course I believe you, Harry." She said simply and he kissed her again, a kiss to express his gratitude and relief, but it soon turned into something more, something heated and intense again.

This time Harry's tongue pressed against her lips and she happily opened her mouth allowing him access. Once again their tongues engaged in a short battle for dominance before she relented and he explored her mouth. After a while she pushed him back as her tongue plunged into his mouth and he blissfully allowed her to explore it as she pleased.

Once again they needed to part to breathe and once again Hermione leaned her forehead on top of his. His eyes raked over her face - her lovely cheeks were flushed and pink, her caramel eyes sparkling like never before and her lips, oh those incredibly soft lips he had dreamed about for so many a nights, were slightly swollen and looked redder than ever thanks to their activities as she still breathed a bit heavily catching her breath as was he, and he felt a surge of pride and elation, knowing that this was all due to _him_.

She was gorgeous and he was sure he had found the memory that would fuel his strongest patronus in this incredible moment as his heart soared in his chest. The reality of his ardent longing for Hermione coming to fruition was so much better than any and all of his fantasies and dreams.

"I really like you." He blurted out dazedly before he knew what he said and immediately felt a bit silly and cringed mentally _What kind of an idiot tells a girl he likes her_ _ **after**_ _he has kissed her._ He desperately hoped that this won't be the last time he got to kiss her after that gaffe.

Luckily for him, Hermione gave a short sweet laugh, and gently kissed him with love before looking at him in his eyes with an intensity he'd never seen before.

"I really like you too." She said softly whispering the words in his ear in a clearly bemused and playful tone as if confiding a secret in him; while the thumb of her left hand drew patterns on the side of his neck making him shiver. She drew back and met his eyes again, smiling at him before she gently pressed her lips to his once again softly, briefly before she lodged her face against the crook of his neck.

Harry couldn't believe that she, Hermione Jane Granger, liked him that way. She was amazing, brilliant, beautiful, loyal, caring, cute, funny in her own way, determined, incredibly brave without acting rashly like he did, patient , compassionate, hard-working. She was perfect. At least in his eyes.

And not only did he like her, but she also liked him back.

It was about time to get his head out of his arse and ask her what he'd been hoping for the past couple of months.

"So… umm…" Harry started suddenly nervous and hoped she didn't feel his hands on her back through his jersey, getting all clammy and cold. "Would you… well… I was wondering... if… you know… ifyouwantedtobemygirlfriend?"

Hermione gave a muffled laugh that filled him with warmth and happiness. He'd give her anything to hear that laugh again. She nodded into his neck, dropping a soft kiss on his pulse point sending him in an overdrive making him exhale loudly; before looking up to him, those chocolate coloured eyes filled with love piercing his soul and making him grin like an idiot.

"Yes, Harry. I'd love to be your girlfriend." She said smiling at him.

He gave her a short kiss on the lips with all the love he had for her before pulling her towards him in a needy hug. He plunged his face into her curly, but still slightly bushy hair and breathed in her lovely vanilla and old tomes scent.

Hermione believed him. Hermione liked him. Hermione was his girlfriend. And that was all that mattered. He still had the tournament and Voldemort trying to kill him. The whole school still hated him and his friendship with Ron was dead and buried. But that didn't matter. He had Hermione… _his Hermione_. As long as she was with him, he could face anything.

And for the first time in his life, he ended Halloween with a smile on his face while holding his beautiful girlfriend in his arms while she was happily playing with his hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Finally, after about 120k words, they finally kissed. I never expected it would take this long but alas, it did. Hopefully the pay off was worth the wait. Thank you for continuing reading! You have no idea what it means to me every time I see someone add this to their favourites/follows/subscriptions/bookmarks and comments/reviews it! I’m so grateful for the support you have shown to me and my fic, I love you all! <3
> 
> Non-Canon Spells Used In This Chapter:  
> Ossium Effringo - Bone Breaker Curse  
> Conlidam Omnino - Shattering Curse (slightly more powerful than the reductor curse. Can be used to shatter any physical object)


	15. I Have You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta-Read By Aani

A couple of hours ago Harry would have sworn this was the worst day of his life. His name came out of the Goblet, the whole school turned against him, Ron destroyed their friendship. He was alone. Alone and basically handed a death sentence. At least that was until Hermione entered the room, told him she believed him, snogged his brains out, and agreed to be his girlfriend.

They were laying there, not having moved much for the past twenty minutes. Hermione was still happily playing with his hair, a happy sigh coming from her lips every now and then, while he was gently stroking her back, not letting her go from the embrace. She was on top of him, she was there, she was his girlfriend. The day quickly turned from the worst day of his life to the best day of his life.

Hermione was laying on top of him, and he couldn't help but admire how this girl had the power to make him happy with just a look. How this girl had the power to squash his fears and apprehensions with her just being there, with him, reminding him that he wasn't alone.

Hermione was laying on top of him… and his brain had only just come out of his high to register that. The next thing that his brain registered was that not only were they as close as humanly possible, but also the fact that he was nursing a semi.

Harry began to panic. There was no way she wasn't aware he was in a state of arousal… owing to her. What must she be thinking of him? She only agreed to be his girlfriend less than half an hour ago. And now, she was laying on top of him and his state of arousal. He inwardly cursed his stupid body while his face began to turn crimson.

"Ummm… Hermione," He squeaked out. "What time is it?"

She moved up to look at him with concern, slightly pressing her hips to his firmness, making him involuntarily jump a little as he bit back a sound that was between a sob and a groan.

"Are you ok, Harry?" She asked innocently, unaware of the sensations she caused, which Harry thought could be simultaneously labelled his plight and pleasure.

"Umm… errr… mmm… well…" He stuttered, blushing even more than he thought was possible.

Unthinkingly, a concerned Hermione moved and now actually sat on top of him, straddling his hips and despite his best efforts, which in his state lasted only for a moment, he couldn't stop the groan from leaving his mouth as he became even more aroused as she pressed into him. His face had a guilty expression while he raised his upper body with his elbows. It took a couple of seconds but it seemed she had finally noticed what was bothering him as her face flushed a matching crimson, her mouth took the shape of an 'O' as her eyes widened comically, she hastily scrambled away from his body, and stood up .

He avoided her eyes, feeling extremely guilty about his state while she was on top of him. When he thought it was safe to look he chanced a peek at her. He saw that she was not only blushing as hard as he was, but she also tried to discreetly look at him.

At the same time, they both immediately looked to the other side. Harry was sure he would be blushing for days and now he was aware of the fact that he needed a really **really** cold shower. There was an uncomfortable silence for what felt like an eternity, but was probably not more than thirty seconds before he squeaked out again.

"Ermmm… sooo… the time?"

Hermione's face immediately had an alarmed expression and turned to look at him, her eyes practically popping out from her beautiful face, with those swollen lips and-

"We're way past curfew!" Hermione's shriek brought him out of his reverie, he never even noticed when she cast the _tempus_ charm. "Do you have your cloak!?" She asked urgently as he shook his head in negation. "The map!?" He shook his head again and Hermione groaned.

Hermione was in deep thought, chewing those perfect lips of hers as she tried to come up with a solution. Harry was so lost in his thoughts of those gorgeous lips as his needs for a cold shower increased before he noticed that she grabbed his arm and basically dragged him out of the room.

They stealthily sprinted past the corridors, towards the Gryffindor tower, and were relieved that they didn't find any teacher patrolling the halls… at least until they heard a 'meow' coming directly from below them. Both immediately looked downwards and saw Mrs Norris staring intently at them. Hermione looked around for a moment before immediately grabbing Harry and dragging him into a compact broom closet.

Harry couldn't help himself, his state of arousal wasn't done any favours when Hermione literally dragged him into a broom closet and they were extremely close.

"Who would have thought Hermione Granger would drag me into a broom closet just after a snogging session." He said cheekily.

Hermione's expression, which was still alarmed, quickly turned into annoyance as she put her hand on his mouth, something that gave Harry a sense of déjà vu. Following a feeling in his gut, he licked her palm as she quickly removed it, scrubbed the saliva on Harry's clothes while glaring at his smirk.

"You saw anything, my sweet?" Both of them heard Filch's voice coming directly outside accompanied by a light and the two teens instantly held their breath. "Hmmmm, come on. Let's keep looking." Filch called out to his cat after a few moments.

It took about a minute before they were sure that Filch was out of earshot and they instantly released their breath.

"What made you start joking around with Filch right outside the door!" Hermione chastised.

"It's not my fault!" Harry exclaimed in mock exasperation. "When a girl drags a boy into a broom closet it usually means something, you know."

"You're incorrigible, Potter." Hermione tried berating him, but the tiny smile on her lips betrayed her feelings.

"Soooo… I'm fairly sure we're safe here, and the common room is less than a minute away from here… sooo." Harry stated hopefully, closing in on her in the already cramped space, watching her reaction the whole time and seeing his own excitement mirroring in her eyes, he would never get tired of Hermione snogging his brains out. Hermione just shook her head and rolled her eyes, but her smile turned into a full grin.

It was almost fifteen minutes later that a disheveled Harry with a dazed look and a disheveled Hermione with a self-satisfied smirk came out of the broom closet and walked towards Gryffindor tower, their hands intertwined shyly.

After being chastised by the Fat Lady for being late, they were let inside the empty common room. Harry turned to look at the nearest clock and saw that it was a little bit after midnight. He couldn't help but grin at the fact that he spent most of the past two hours with Hermione, snogging.

Harry escorted Hermione to the bottom of the girl's staircases and they stayed there in silence for a couple of moments, neither wanting to go. Harry knew that as soon as she was gone and he woke up the next day, everything else would be real. He was still in the tournament and Voldemort was still after him. He still berated his brain for not remembering the dream until the last possible moment.

He was brought out of his thoughts by the gentle voice he loved.

"Goodnight Harry."

She gave him a gentle kiss on the lips, a kiss of understanding but one that promised that everything would be ok. It only lasted a few seconds and neither of them did anything to deepen it, it was the perfect good night kiss.

She gave him a sweet smile before slowly walking up the stairs, not leaving Harry's gaze until the last possible moment. He stood there, looking at the spot where Hermione was as everything flooded back once more.

His friendship with Ron was dead. The whole school hated him. He was forced into a tournament. Voldemort wanted to kill him. And in that moment, Hermione wasn't there to bring him out of his brood, to tell him that everything was going to be ok, that she wouldn't leave him.

He hated being so pathetic, not even a full day of Hermione being his girlfriend and he felt alone without her. He already missed her. She was the only thing holding him together, but she always had been, she had been his rock, the one constant in his life ever since that Halloween three years ago. She didn't abandon him when he wanted to go for the stone, she stood by him as the whole school ostracised him for being the heir of Slytherin, she was even there for him when he was stupid enough to follow Ron and ignore her when she tried to save his life last year.

 _I used to be such an idiot!_ He cursed himself. He abandoned her, he alienated her. He ignored her. The girl that was only trying to save his life, the girl whose sole concern these past three years, apart from exams, had been him, the girl who had never, **ever** , abandoned him. And he didn't think twice before doing that to her.

His insides clenched with guilt, he felt like he wanted to vomit. He was repulsed with himself, he abandoned her all because of his stupid pride and a bloody broom. He didn't know how after that, she agreed to be his friend again, much less his girlfriend. He couldn't understand why she wanted him, after those months of hurt he caused her.

 _No!_ He internally screamed. He wouldn't go there. He knew he was just spiraling into his usual self-hatred. He wasn't going to lose Hermione because he was an arsehole and then an idiot. He'd make it up to her, promise her that he'd never leave her just like she had, he'd become the person she deserved. He'd become someone that would make her proud.

And with that, he squared his shoulder with determination. Not only to face all the challenges ahead, but to make sure Hermione kept him around for a very long time. He went up the stairs and entered his dorm. Twenty minutes later, he was in bed and within no time he was sleeping, dreaming about his beautiful, brown haired girlfriend and her amazing snogging abilities.

* * *

The first thing that made Hermione realize she was awake wasn't the sunlight shining through her closed eyes nor the movement outside by her dormmates. It was the smell. The smell she loved and had been waking up to for the past two weeks. It was Harry's smell. She was sure of that. Even if she hadn't worn his quidditch jersey every night since she stole it from his trunk, she would recognize that smell anywhere after their full blown snogging session from last night.

Remembering their activities from last night made her face blush even though she brightened up with a grin that increased when she remembered what came after that. Harry had finally asked her to be his girlfriend. She had been hoping he would do something for the past month and a half but he never did much to her chagrin. She was beginning to really understand what Lavender said about boys being stupid with their feelings.

That changed last night when he finally kissed her.

It was a gentle kiss that didn't last long since she was too shocked to reciprocate. When Harry broke it and began apologizing she couldn't take it anymore. She'd been patiently waiting for Harry to figure it out and he didn't, so she wasn't going to let him backtrack on that kiss.

She pounced on him, snogged him into next week, and finally claimed him as _hers_. At that point Harry asking her to be his girlfriend was merely a formality, she was his, just like he was hers. The thought sent a jolt of pleasure through her and she felt her smile grow wider.

Not that she didn't like that formality. She loved every second of last night. She had no idea how Harry had managed to present a confident air when he faced life or death situations but could be completely awkward and nervous when asking her to be his girlfriend after she had given him every clue that that was what she wanted. He was absolutely silly and adorable and _hers_ she thought with a surge of warmth and giddiness.

_I mean, it's not like I snog any guy like that! I couldn't be more obvious!_

Nevertheless she loved every second of his proposal. It was just so adorable, so meaningful… so _Harry_. She loved being on top of him, playing with his hair while his arms gently encircled her and caressed her back. In that moment, she felt pure and utter bliss.

She also remembered feeling Harry's arousal with a flush of self-consciousness and something else, something new that she couldn't quite recognise, only knew that she hadn't ever felt that particular emotion before. At first she was extremely surprised when she felt it and immediately became embarrassed. She couldn't even look him in the eye, but also couldn't help the curiosity she felt and so she did chance a peak at it and flushed even more when Harry caught her eye while she did. It wasn't until she laid down in bed later that she couldn't help but smile at the thought that she was the cause of Harry's arousal.

A thousand butterflies fluttered about in the pit of her stomach as she processed Harry's reaction to her - he was attracted to her, he found her desirable. Her mum had of course given her the talk and even bought a couple of books on the subject for her… but to experience what she had merely read about was such a different feeling.

She hugged her pillow tightly as she blushed even more realising how knowing she affected Harry in that way made her feel prettier than she ever had. She might not be the most beautiful girl in the castle, but the boy she liked, her boyfriend - she thought the words with a surge of joy - her Harry, found her desirable and wanted her. His words, actions and finally his body's reaction to her proximity was everything she had wanted and never knew she needed. It was such a heady feeling to know her feelings were reciprocated by Harry already, the proof that he desired her made the experience even more powerful and pleasant even though they were embarrassed by it.

Her grin grew even wider at that thought and she got out of bed, knowing she couldn't stay in bed thinking about Harry… but actually wanting to see him and maybe do a repeat of yesterday… just maybe.

Hermione took a shower and did her usual morning routine with a full grin on her face, something that was unfortunately not missed by Lavender, not that it affected her mood in any way.

"Sooo…" Lavender drawled, a grin on her face as she leaned on the door frame while watching Hermione try to tame her hair into the curly shape her mother had taught her. "Anything interesting happened last night?"

"Of course not," Hermione dismissed but even she knew the stupid grin on her face was betraying her. "Nothing happened last night."

Lavender raised an eyebrow at her. "Uh huh, so you just happened to finally show up after midnight, giggling like an idiot because…"

Hermione blushed at that, she was sure that the others were asleep before she started giggling like Lavender would. "I did no such thing!" She exclaimed, but not a second later her stupid grin returned as the memory flashed in her mind.

Lavender walked towards her, stole the hair brush she was using from her hands and dragged her out of the bathroom and into the dorm. Lavender forced Hermione down to her bed as she sat beside her, gripping her hands. "Spill,"

Hermione let out an exasperated sigh, knowing her friend wouldn't drop the subject. "I… He… We… Ugh!" She exclaimed, unable to find the right words. "We're together now!" She finally managed to blurt out, blushing but unable to keep the grin from returning to her face.

"Tell! Me! Everything!" Lavender shrieked unconcerned about everyone else in their dorm and squealed, joy written across her face and dodged a pillow Parvati threw her way, who just returned to her sleep.

"Well… he was… he was devastated after everything. He didn't put his name in… you believe him right?" Hermione asked, hoping Lavender wouldn't treat Harry like the rest did, not that she'd hesitate to set her straight if she did.

Hermione saw Lavender hesitate for a second before she nodded with a determined face which caused Hermione to continue. "So, he was really upset and I was trying to help him, but I could tell I wasn't getting through to him. I don't know what happened, but in a flash Harry's face lightened and… well… he kissed me."

Lavender squealed loudly and started giggling. "What happened next?"

"Well… I was kinda surprised and didn't actually kiss him back. He immediately pulled back and started apologizing and..."

Hermione blushed and was unable to speak what happened next. There was a pause of about half a second before Lavender became exasperated.

"And!?"

No response.

"And what!?"

No response.

"Hermione!?"

"And I snogged his brains out, ok!" Hermione blurted out before placing her hands on her mouth and blushing profusely.

Lavender looked at her dumbfoundedly before she burst out laughing. After a full minute of laughter Hermione couldn't take it anymore.

"What's so funny!?" She shouted, glaring at her friend.

"I'm sorry," She squeaked out between laughs. "I just can't see prim and proper Hermione Granger snogging anyone like that!" She actually fell off the bed from laughter as Hermione rolled her eyes at her friend while she grinned to herself. Even she couldn't believe she did it, but she was sure she would do so again and soon.

After a couple of minutes where Lavender calmed down, she finally asked.

"So what happened next!?"

Hermione thought about telling her everything but decided to keep all the little details to herself, that would be their little secret and Lavender didn't need to know. "Well, he kinda asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes."

Lavender squealed and did something Hermione didn't expect. She pulled her into a bone crushing hug, kissed her on the cheek, and began jumping from joy. Hermione immediately got suspicious of that.

"Ok… I know you were rooting for me and Harry but this is a bit much isn't it?" She asked with narrowed eyes.

The blond flushed at this and averted Hermione's eyes. "Spill, Brown. Now!"

"Well… you see… err… there's this… bet… going around… about you… and Harry… and..."

"And!?"

No response.

"And!?"

No response

"Lavender!?"

"And I bet on you two getting together on Halloween, ok!"

Hermione instantly flushed as she finally figured out what the blasted bet was about.

"People were betting on the possibilities that Harry and I would get together!?"

"Well… no..?"

"What do you mean no!"

"There was no bet about if you and Harry would get together!" Hermione raised an eyebrow at Lavender. "There was a bet about **when** you two would get together, ok!? It's completely different."

Hermione couldn't believe it, there was a bet about _**when**_ she and Harry would get together!? How did she only find this out now!?

"How long has this been going on!?"

"Ummmm…"

"Lavender Brown you tell me and you tell me right now!" She told the girl in her best imitation of Professor McGonagall.

"Since the troll incident in our first year, ok!"

Hermione blinked. She blinked again, not believing what she just heard.

"You bet on two eleven year olds getting together!?"

"Of course not," Said Lavender defensively. "We bet on you getting together during any time before the end of our seventh year. Most of our bets were for like fifth or sixth year, but since you could renew your bet at the beginning of every year I changed it from Halloween of sixth year to Halloween of this year."

Hermione groaned as she collapsed on the bed.

"It's just a silly game, Hermione. It's not a big deal." Said an apprehensive Lavender.

"Oh really? Are there any other bets going around about two people getting together!?" Asked an exasperated Hermione.

"Well… not really." Hermione glared at Lavender, causing the blonde to hastily continue. "It was obvious, honestly! You two have been basically stuck at the hip ever since that Halloween. It was inevitable really, any person with a little brain could see that! No one else acts like that, not even actual, seventh year couples!"

The girl continued, with more confidence, providing proof why she was sorted into Gryffindor as she further spoke,

"And Hermione, how many girls in this castle can go around claiming a boy fought a twelve foot mountain troll for them? After that people thought it's only a question of when and not if, we can't be blamed for it!"

Lavender adapted a dreamy tone, as her eyes got a faraway look when she continued.

"Harry rescuing you that Halloween is the stuff of legends Hermione. Since then, so many girls have envied you and wished they had someone as brave and handsome and as wonderful as Harry be their own personal knight in shining armour!"

"Are you calling me a damsel in distress, Brown?" Hermione couldn't help but ask with an arched eyebrow. Okay, she did need help back then, but she was new to this world, and it wasn't like she had had experiences of facing off twelve foot mountain trolls and it had been scary but she'd be damned before she was thought of as a damsel, though the thought of Harry being her personal knight and the memory of his concern did send her heart aflutter.

"Of course not Hermione! We all know you are always with him during his adventures! Always! But you can't deny it's so terribly romantic." Lavender protested as she continued, "Harry was so small, all of us were back then but he was so worried about you, he noticed your absence and then he didn't just find you but he didn't let anything happen to you and if that's not an indication that you two were written in the stars I don't know what is." The girl finally breathed out.

Hermione sat again on the bed and groaned. She wanted to rub her temples as Lavender mentioned stars and that made Hermione think of divination and that fraud Trelawney whom Lavender absolutely idolised for some reason but she kept quiet since she didn't quite feel like refuting the rest of it even if she didn't like divination or the woman who taught that subject. Instead she chose to focus on a different perspective, _oh why, why does Harry always have to be in the spotlight!? He_ _ **hates**_ _it..._

_Harry!_

She suddenly remembered that, with everything that happened last night, Harry would need her and shot out of the bed before she continued her morning routine. Lavender told her she would see her at breakfast but she ignored it, completely in her 'Helping Harry' mode she'd developed over these past three years.

Twenty minutes later Hermione was rushing down the stairs. It was late and she didn't want to leave Harry alone, not after everything that happened yesterday.

She got to the common room and stopped at the sight. It was completely empty except for one person. He was leaning on the back of the couch, watching the girls staircase with a nervous look. In a moment, his face changed into a full grin, causing hers to mirror his.

She tentatively walked over to her boyfriend.

"Hey you," She called out, her voice soft.

"Hey," His eyes staring intensely at hers while his grin broadened.

She gently grabbed his hand and gave it a small squeeze. "How are you?" She asked in a concerned manner. She knew what it was like to be ostracized by everyone and didn't want Harry to feel like that. Not with her being so happy at the moment.

He gave her the sweetest smile she had ever seen from him. "Perfect," He replied, closing in on her and giving her a short yet soft and gentle kiss which she gladly reciprocated. When they parted, their faces sported those grins again as they kept staring at each other's eyes. Unable to help herself, she stole another quick kiss from his smiling lips, not that Harry seemed to mind as his eyes just got brighter and his smile wider at her actions.

She slowly pulled back and looked at his emerald orbs. "I could go and get us some breakfast and then meet in the room. We need to talk about the tournament." She said solemnly.

Even though she didn't want to ruin the bliss they had, they needed to address the whole tournament issue. She couldn't lose him, not now that she finally had him.

Harry shook his head determined, his face also betraying his resolve. "No. I'm not going to be a coward and avoid everyone. I didn't put my name in. I don't care what they think, I'll face them."

Hermione didn't like this, she didn't want Harry exposed to the abuse she knew he would receive, but she could only support him as he did so.

"No, Harry." She once again took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "We'll face them. Together."

"Hermione… if people found out we're a couple they'll also target you. Wouldn't it be be-"

"Don't" Hermione interrupted. "Don't you dare finish that sentence. I believe you and I'm not leaving you! I'm not going to let **them** deter me from proudly showing off that you're mine!" She exclaimed as she spoke, disdain clear in her voice when referring to the others. "When are you going to get it into your head!? We're in this together!"

He gave a defeated nod but she didn't become Harry Potter's girlfriend without being able to read him. She knew he needed to hear that she wouldn't leave him, that she would share his burden. While his expression was defeated, there was a hint of relief and happiness and something else she didn't quite understand in his eyes.

"Good!" She huffed as she began leading him towards the portrait, reaching out to hold his hand with her own. "Now come on, I'm hungry."

She heard Harry chuckle from behind her and she immediately brightened, glad that she managed to bring Harry out of his brooding before it could even begin. They walked slowly, hand in hand, towards the Great Hall. Hermione was savouring the feeling of finally being able to grab his hand in public, to finally have him like this.

After a few minutes of walking in a comfortable silence, they reached the Great Hall and it felt as if everything immediately stopped. Everyone turned to look at them and Hermione could see all the glares, not missing the one from Ronald Weasley. The boy she used to consider one of her best friends before he betrayed Harry. She could handle him insulting her, fighting with her and belittling her at every turn. But what he did to Harry, abandoning when he needed his friends the most, that she couldn't look past.

Hermione felt Harry trying to let go of her hand but she gripped it immediately and didn't let it go, she was going to show everyone where she clearly stood. They walked through the Great Hall, Hermione glaring right back at everyone who was glaring at Harry and her.

They didn't even reach the halfway point before she heard the first shout.

"CHEATER!"

"COWARD!"

"IS BEING FAMOUS NOT ENOUGH FOR THE BOY WHO LIVED!"

The shouts were becoming unrecognizable and it felt that everyone kept shouting at **her** , bringing back a lot of memories from before Hogwarts… before Harry. But she wouldn't be deterred. She kept her head high and continued walking towards the spot at the end of the table before she heard Professor Dumbledore's voice boom through the Hall.

"SILENCE!" The Headmaster was standing now.

Immediately, everyone stopped shouting and the ones standing up sat down. She noted that even students from the other schools joined in yelling at them.

Professor Dumbledore spoke again with what she assumed was his strict teacher tone, one she wasn't aware of since sadly the headmaster didn't teach anymore and instead handled the administration of the school, cancelling the sonorous charm he placed to silence the Great Hall.

"If this event happens again I will see that every Hogwarts student is banned from attending the tasks. Am I clear?"

Hermione saw everyone nod before Professor Dumbledore sat back down. She led Harry to the empty space near the end of the table and just as they sat down, the people nearby moved away from them to another place on the table, throwing the couple death glares as they did.

The Great Hall was completely silent, you could hear your own heartbeat if you focused on it. Hermione felt the death stares from the back of her head, and could see them plainly from her peripheral vision as she spotted some Gryffindors sending them to Harry.

Everything was completely tense, it seemed like nobody was moving, not even the teachers at the Head Table continued with their food after the couple arrived. It took over a full minute before loud footsteps echoed across the Great Hall. She turned to look in that direction, hoping to Merlin that whoever it was would leave them alone, and was relieved when she saw it was Katie walking, hand in hand with a slightly reluctant Lee Jordan.

The couple walked towards their spot and sat on the spot across from them, both giving Harry a smile, Lee's was more apologetic than anything. She saw Harry awkwardly smile back at them and felt him take her hand once more, hidden by the table. She gave it a supportive squeeze, wanting to do much more than that but refraining given where they were.

Hermione once again heard footsteps start and turned to look at their direction, spotting Lavender, who smiled and winked at her, walking towards her with Parvati, who also gave her a smile. Lavender took the spot beside Hermione and Parvati sat across the blonde. None said anything but also gave Harry apologetic smiles, though she could see Lavender's was slightly knowing.

It didn't stop there, the twins, Angelina, and Alicia followed close behind, all sitting down with Harry, clearly showing the school where they stood. Unfortunately, those were the only ones and she could see Harry's face fall a bit more when he realized Ron wasn't coming.

As Hermione hadn't released his hand, and she had no plans to do so, she gave it a squeeze, conveying all the comfort she could. She knew what Harry thought about Ron, he was his first friend, She knew what he was going through, after all, she lost her first friend last year for months as well. So, if Ron decided to stop being a git and Harry accepted him back, she would try to get past her anger at the redhead.

Soon after that, the Great Hall seemingly went back to normal, although she could still feel the death glares coming from behind her. Since it was Saturday and there were no classes she planned on talking to Harry about the tournament as soon as they left the Great Hall. She needed to help him, any way she could. If she had to step with Harry in front of a dragon she would, without hesitation.

All in all, it had been a pleasant breakfast. The twins managed to break the tension inside the group by cracking jokes and it wasn't long after that that she heard Harry, and the rest, laughing. Even though it felt like they were the only ones talking, since the Hall was still eerily quiet, she didn't mind. This had gone far better than she expected when Harry insisted on coming to breakfast.

Fred was interrupted mid-joke when the sound of owls entering the Great Hall echoed through the Hall. She looked up and saw hundreds of owls flying above them, one landed in front of Lavender and handed her a newspaper. While Lavender was looking for money to pay the owl, Hermione took a peak at the newspaper and her eyes widened in horror when she saw a picture of Harry walking towards the Goblet of Fire appeared in the front page.

She immediately snatched the paper from the table before Lavender could and ignored whatever remark the girl sent her way as she was too busy reading the article.

_THE BOY WHO CHEATS!_

_Written by: Rita Skeeter_

_That's right readers of the prophet, Harry Potter, the boy who lived, is now the boy who cheats. As you all know, it was announced two months ago that Hogwarts would host the legendary Triwizard Tournament! The two schools, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Durmstrang Institute, arrived the afternoon of the thirtieth of October._

_The students from all three schools were given twenty-four hours to enter their name into the tournament. However, a new rule appointed by the French, Bulgarian, and British Ministries of Magic stated that no underage student could place his name into the Tournament for contention._

_The Selection Ceremony was hosted last night at the Great Hall of Hogwarts, where not only representatives from all three ministries attended, but also your favourite reporter was there to witness the events._

_The ceremony went without a hitch, as the champions from all three schools of Hogwarts were chosen by The Goblet of Fire, an ancient magical artifact that has been used in every Triwizard Tournament for the ceremony since its inception._

_That was until said Goblet acted up and surprisingly chose a fourth champion, none other than The Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter! Not only is Harry Potter underage, making him ineligible for the Tournament, but a Hogwarts champion had already been chosen._

_Unfortunately, the Goblet seemed to create a magical contract that made it impossible for the organizers to stop Harry Potter's attempts at cheating his way into the tournament. None of the ministry officials were pleased with this result._

" _It's outrageous and vexing that nothing could be done about Potter!" An incensed Cornelius Fudge raged at yours truly after the deceiving champion got what he wanted. "You could see it in his face that he was enjoying the fact that we were unable to do anything to stop him! He's an attention-seeking brat who isn't satisfied with already being The Boy Who Lived! He proved a few months ago that he'd do anything to be the center of attention and this is just his latest attempt!"_

_Minister Fudge is of course referring to the highly publicized attack at Harry Potter that occured at the World Cup riot. Minister Fudge revealed just last night how Harry Potter blamed the esteemed Lucius Malfoy for being his attacker. This was of course disproven by the minister himself, vouching for Mr Malfoy as his alibi during the event!_

_This journalist was as surprised as anyone when Harry Potter was chosen as a fourth champion and that he managed to get away with it. Follow us here at the prophet for more updates on the Triwizard Tournament!_

Hermione glared at the paper as her hands were shaking with fury. She hadn't seen the article posted about Harry's attack when it came out since she was only concerned with helping him get through the ordeal. Hermione saw Harry staring at her, a puzzled expression on his face. Knowing she would have to tell him soon, she turned to Lavender.

"Can I borrow this?" She asked her friend with a solemn expression.

Lavender gave her a confused look which turned into one of realization when Hermione showed her the headline. The blonde nodded solemnly at her and she gave her a grateful smile. Hermione turned to her boyfriend.

"Come on," She said before dragging him by their still intertwined hands, seeing everyone glaring at them.

Hermione thought about going to the room to talk but quickly disregarded that idea. She needed fresh air. She needed to walk. So she led him out of the castle and towards the Black Lake. They walked in comfortable silence, hands intertwined, Hermione leaning lightly on Harry as she tried to calm down.

She had no idea how long they spent walking like that, enjoying each other's company as they made their way slowly around the lake. Hermione noticed a large boulder near the edge of the lake and led Harry towards it. She sat on top of it and stared at Harry solemnly, his expression once again was one of confusion.

Wordlessly, Hermione handed Harry the Daily Prophet and motioned for him to read it. She could see Harry's expression darkened as he continued reading the article. Hermione knew he was done when he balled up the newspaper and sent it splashing into the Black Lake, scowling at it as he did so.

He began pacing in front of her while grumbling to himself. Knowing he needed this right now, she let him do that. A couple of minutes later she saw his shoulders sag as his face gained a defeated expression.

"This doesn't change anything." He said. Whether to himself or to her, Hermione didn't know.

"Of course it changes things!" Said an incensed Hermione as she jumped off from the boulder, she had no idea how he could just accept the slander of his character like that.

"Not really. Everyone already hated me, and I'm still in the tournament. This article doesn't actually change anything." He said in a resigned manner.

"But it's a lie! You didn't want to enter this stupid tournament!"

"I know it's a lie," He said as he grabbed her hands. "And you know it's a lie. You believing me is all I need." He said with a smile and she could tell he truly meant it.

Hermione rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help the small smile from appearing on her face.

"That was so cheesy, Potter." She said even as she shook her head.

Harry looked at her, his eyes smouldering, sending a shiver of pleasure down her spine, knowing he was so intently focused on her as he continued unaware of the havoc his gaze was unleashing on her senses as his expression was serious. "It's the truth."

Hermione stared back at the intensity in his eyes and she couldn't help but know it was the truth. Knowing they were as far away as possible from everyone, she pulled her hands free from his grasp, momentarily confusing him only for clarity to dawn in his eyes as he saw her hands reaching out for him as she grabbed him by his tie, pulled him towards her and passionately kissed him while his hands settled on the sides of her waist even as he closed his eyes welcoming her lips on his. It was a short kiss, knowing she couldn't get distracted from what they needed to talk about.

"What are we going to do about the tournament?" She asked him after they separated and she returned to her place on top of the large stone.

Harry shrugged. "There's nothing we can do, really. Dumbledore said I have to compete because of the magical binding contract. When I asked the judges about the first task, they told me they wanted the champions to go in blind," He didn't stop when she gasped. "So there's nothing we can really do, except train."

"They want you to go in blind!? That's… That's… That's..."

"I know," He said in a resigned manner.

She couldn't believe it! Professor Dumbledore had warned how dangerous the tasks were going to be and they expected the champions to walk into them without knowing what they were facing! They didn't even tell Harry! He's only fourteen!

She wanted to go up to the judges and hex them for their idiocy. _What the hell are they thinking!?_

"Does Professor Dumbledore know who put your name in?" She asked, trying to change the topic.

Hermione saw Harry suddenly become nervous, something she thought was incredibly adorable but couldn't help but get suspicious of him.

"What aren't you telling me, Harry?"

"Err… remember the Voldemort vision I had in the summer?" He continued when she nodded. "Well… umm… I may have had another one a couple of weeks ago." He said as he was fidgeting.

"WHAT!? Why didn't you tell me!?" She hissed while glaring at him.

"Because I forgot most of it and Dumbledore told me there wasn't any useful information in it!" He explained quickly.

"You still should have told me!" She said as she poked him, rather harshly, on his chest.

"I just didn't want to worry you. Like I said, it wasn't important… until last night."

He then went on explaining how he abruptly remembered details of the vision when his name came out of the Goblet, what he thought was Voldemort's plan, Voldemort's threat to Harry, and his talk with Sirius and Remus.

Hermione felt a knot twisting in the pit of her stomach. She never doubted the fact that it was Voldemort who had managed to enter Harry into the tournament. What she couldn't believe was that he had managed to do so without anyone suspecting. If it is like Sirius thinks and Voldemort's inside man was in the castle right now, Harry wouldn't be safe.

"We need to figure out who it is. Maybe if we do, we can stop whatever Voldemort is planning."

"But how can we do that?"

Hermione chewed on her lower lip as she began analyzing the problem. If Voldemort really wanted to keep an eye on Harry, he wouldn't send someone imperiused here. There were ways to throw off the imperius, Harry had done that in class when Moody placed him under the curse. Sure, he was the only one of the class who managed to do it, but it could still be done. Voldemort wouldn't risk his plan like that.

No, he would send a loyal follower here. Her first thought was Wormtail, but since Harry said he was present in the vision, it couldn't be him. So it only left a couple of alternatives, of which undoubtedly the easiest one was polyjuice potion since invisibility cloaks were rare and expensive, prolonged human transfiguration was too draining and animagus transformation was a lengthy process with no way to choose a desired form, thus rarely opted by witches and wizards. It had to be polyjuice potion, she could feel it, that's the only way of infiltrating the school.

It could be brewed by any capable witch or wizard who knew the process and could procure the ingredients and worse she was sure, it could be bought too for those inept at brewing potions. She recalled the twins once mentioning a desire to visit Knockturn Alley at the Burrow, while Mrs Weasley raged at them mentioning that it was for thugs and criminals as the place sold all kinds of dangerous things and what could be more dangerous than potions she wondered to herself.

The average witch or wizard underestimated the power of potions finding the wand superior but she knew that they couldn't be more wrong. It was the lack of knowledge about and interest in potions that truly made them horrific. For potions ranged from the kind that took away your autonomy, but were disgustingly called love potions, to the kind of potion that allowed you to assume anyone's identity at will with a single dose.

She felt ashamed again that she had laughed about love potions when Mrs Weasley had mentioned brewing them just the previous year, but once she had read about them and realised they were the wizarding world's equivalent of date rape drugs she had been horrified and ashamed of laughing about them without understanding what she was doing at the time. But right now wasn't the time to focus on that, Harry was more important than her self loathing.

Since Sirius was sure that Headmaster Karkaroff or Professor Snape weren't the inside man, it had to be a polyjuiced imposter.

But how to know if someone is polyjuiced? There wasn't a spell that undid the potion, the only way was to wait for the user to stop drinking or for the effect to wear off. Hermione hoped of the boulder and began pacing, ideas entering and leaving her head as she tried thinking of a solution before her eyes widened and she looked at Harry, a smile on her face.

"The map!"

"What about it?" He asked, and a corner of her mind couldn't help but focus on how his face was so cute when he had a puzzled expression but she knew now was not the time to be distracted.

"Voldemort wouldn't risk sending someone imperiused since we know people can throw off the curse, you're a perfect example of that. No, he would send someone who wouldn't betray him, not wanting to risk his plan going out. So he would have to send an imposter, someone polyjuiced. An-"

"And we can use the map!" Harry interrupted, finishing her thoughts before she even could. "Last year it showed Wormtail even though he was a rat! It must also show when someone is polyjuiced!"

"We use the map and if we see a name doesn't belong there, we know it's the death eater!" She declared brightly.

"Hermione, you are brilliant!" Harry exclaimed and she didn't get time to blush at the praise as he pulled her into his arms and before she knew it his mouth had captured hers in a heated kiss.

This was a kiss of joy and celebration, they were a long way from figuring out what plans were laid out for Harry but it was still progress and considering how good things were sparse, they weren't wasting any opportunity to make the most of their little joys and victories. They took their time, unlike their previous kiss, at first battling for dominance before Harry once again yielded and let her explore him completely and later too lost in each other and the still newfound joy of being able to experience this much desired and awaited intimacy they'd been longing for. After a couple of minutes they came up for air and Hermione couldn't help but smile at Harry's dazed expression. She loved seeing him as happy as he clearly was right now.

Once they regained their breath and mental faculties, Harry's expression once again turned solemn.

"But how do we do it? I mean, it's not like we know everyone at Hogwarts. How do we know if a name doesn't belong there."

Hermione pondered that question, she hadn't thought about that. She was interrupted from her thoughts when Harry exclaimed.

"We use a teacher's list of students! They use it all the time when they call out attendance! That should tell us the name of every student!"

"And we check the map at night! When everyone is in their respective common rooms! That way we can know if someone is out of place!"

"Yes!" Harry paused and started thinking out loud. "But how do we get the list… I know," He called out as he turned to look at her. "Ok, I need you to distract McGonagall at lunch, make sure she doesn't leave the Great Hall. I'll use the cloak and enter her office. I make a copy of her student roll calls and leave before she comes back! She won't even notice anything's missing since we're making a duplicate!"

Hermione couldn't help herself and rolled her eyes at the absurdity of the plan.

"Or maybe… just maybe… you could ask Dumbledore for the list of students and tell him what you're doing. I'm pretty sure he would approve of the plan. I don't know, it could work, you know." She said cheekily.

"Oh, you think you're smart now, huh?" He asked in mock seriousness with raised eyebrows as he tried his best not to grin.

"I do believe you called me brilliant a few minutes ago, Potter."

"Oh," He stepped closer to her and she felt him boldly put his hands on either side of her waist. "Did I?"

Hermione wasn't about to let Harry win this little game of theirs. "Hmmmm," She mock pondered as she leaned into him, her lips only a few centimeters from his and she could see he had already closed his eyes. She smirked as she pulled away from him and started walking towards the castle.

"You're right," She called out while looking over her shoulder at a clearly frustrated Harry. "I must have imagined it." She winked at him and continued walking.

"Oi! Where are you going!" She heard Harry shout from behind her but she continued on walking towards the castle.

She heard him running behind her and it wasn't long before he caught up to her and immediately reached out to grab her wrist.

"Where do you think you're going, Miss Granger?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and a barely contained smirk.

"The castle." She replied as if it was obvious while doing a much better job of schooling her features.

"You should know it's not polite leaving your boyfriend hanging like that, not unless you're prepared to be penalised." He said as his eyes sparkled with mischievousness.

"Oh pray, and what might this penalty be?" She asked with mock wonder.

"This." He said before he began tickling her,

She had learned a lot of things about herself because of Harry and right now, she was learning she was really ticklish.

"Harry stop!" She said trying to sound serious but the laughs she tried to contain finally burst out as she tried to get away. Harry was relentless as he continued, even through her shrieks, yells, and shoves. Hermione ended up falling with Harry following close by, managing to at least fall on his arms rather than on top of her. That didn't deter him as he continued tickling her while she was still on the ground.

She was still laughing, tears had welled up in her eyes and she was sure her face must be red by now as she felt breathless but thankfully Harry had stopped tickling her. Instead, she noticed that he was looking at her with a mix of so many emotions and try as she might she couldn't move, couldn't look away from him and his eyes that had captured her so wholly. There was tenderness, joy, fascination and before she knew it, Harry was leaning in and kissing her again while she was pinned to the ground, held captive by his lips on hers - devouring her, intoxicating her, by his hands tenderly holding her even as her arms went around him and by his weight that settled above her even as he was careful not to crush her beneath his torso. Since she was out of breath, the kiss didn't last more than a couple of minutes before they had to stop.

As they were both catching their breaths, Hermione decided she wanted to hear Harry laugh just as exuberantly as he had her laughing just before and started tickling him. She was pleased with herself when she realized Harry was as ticklish as she was. After a round of tickling that warmed her spirits as Harry's laugh was so vibrant, so beautiful and wonderful she knew why he couldn't resist kissing her earlier and so she proceeded to kiss him, this time around she pinned him to the ground and deepened the kiss.

Once again they had to break for air and Hermione enjoyed the dazed look on his face as she looked at him. She couldn't help herself as she stole another quick kiss before slumping down on the ground. She had no idea how just being with Harry could make the most somber moments turn into ones that had her smiling and laughing.

She snuggled up next to him and laid her head on his chest, listening to his wildly beating heart as they regained their breath, while Harry tightened his arms around her, dropping a kiss at the top of her head, in a much familiar gesture making her sigh, with both of them wearing the widest smiles they had since last night.

* * *

The rest of the day went by quickly for Harry and Hermione. After another perfect snogging session, lying down by the edge of the Black Lake but far away from the castle and the prying eyes of its occupants, the couple decided to spend the day outside while enjoying each other's company.

They had their serious talks at the beginning, Hermione trying to come up with a training schedule for him while he could only smile at her. He always denied it, especially when he was friends with the redhead, but he loved whenever Hermione gave him his study schedules as she did every year. Oh, he hated studying for the exams and all the reviewing, but the simple fact that Hermione worried about him to the point where she would use her time to make him a schedule made his insides do all sorts of gymnastics. If he was honest with himself, that was the main reason he studied at all for the end of term exams.

After finishing with planning their schedule, speculating what the first task would be, and planning for the search of the death eater they dropped the solemn planning and talked about everything, anything, and nothing all at the same time. They hadn't even noticed they missed lunch until it was already too late and they decided to just wait until dinner.

Right now, they were watching the sun set in front of the Black Lake as they sat together, their backs leaned on the boulder they found in the morning. Hermione had her head on his shoulder, their hands intertwined as they enjoyed the beautiful sight in a comfortable silence they've been keeping for about twenty minutes.

"Harry…" He heard Hermione's voice from beside him and he immediately stiffened, her voice held a concerned tone and he felt he wasn't going to like this.

He felt Hermione's head leave his shoulder as she turned her body completely to face him. Harry mirrored Hermione and looked at her intently. There were a few moments of uncomfortable silence before she grasped each one of his hands with one of hers. She looked at him, her expression was soft.

"I'm sorry…"

Harry furrowed his brows. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Hermione."

"No… I'm sorry about Ron." Harry immediately froze at that but thankfully, he was sure Hermione didn't notice. "I… I know he was your first friend and… I know how you feel. I'm sorry for how he treated you." Her eyes never left his as she spoke.

Getting what she meant, Harry squeezed his grip on her hands and stared at her, he could feel his expression betray his regret.

"I'm sorry… I abandoned you, I shunned you all because of a stupid broom, I-" He paused, never taking his eyes from hers. "I was an arsehole… I don't know how you ever forgave me."

"Hey hey hey. Don't, ok. I shouldn't have gone behind your back and talked to McGonagall. I should-"

"Hermione no, do-"

"Yes!" She shouted as she let go of his hands. "It's also my fault! I betrayed your trust and I shouldn't have."

"Hermione I was the one that shunned y-"

"No. You didn't. You tried talking to me but I was being stupid and ignoring you. I… I was afraid that if you hung out with me after what happened with Crookshanks, Ron would give you an ultimatum and you… you would choose him instead of me." She finished in a small voice.

"Hermione," He gently grabbed her hands once more. "I would never choose anyone over you." He said solemnly, trying to convey the truth of his feelings with his words. "I just... you've always stood by me, even now when everyone abandoned me not only are you here, but you believe me. I just can't believe I abandoned you like that because of my stupid pride. I'm sorry."

"Harry…"

"Please." He spoke while averting her gaze. "Don't say it wasn't my fault when it was."

There were a couple of moments of silence before he heard her again.

"I forgive you, Harry."

He looked back at her and saw the softest expression he'd ever seen on her face. He gave her a brief smile before he mouthed, "Thank you." and once again averted her piercing gaze.

"He'll come back." He heard her say and turned to look at her, his brows furrowed as he looked at her face which had a small smile. "Sooner or later, he'll get his head out of his arse and apologize. I'm sure he will, Harry."

"No." He spoke emotionlessly.

"Harry..?"

"No second chances." He whispered resolutely.

He'd been thinking about this while he destroyed those dummies last night. Ron, the person he considered to be one of his best friends, the person he considered to be his brother in all but blood abandoned him. Betrayed him. Not only that, he belittled him, insulted him in the way he knew would hurt the most by mentioning his parents. And this morning, he'd been completely unapologetic.

He trusted him, his first friend, and the redhead threw his trust away, stepped on it, and spit on it for good measure, all because he wanted to be in the stupid tournament. He'd proven that it wasn't just the emotions from last night as he didn't even sit down with him today when even Lavender and Parvati of all people did! His friendship with Ronald Weasley was dead and buried.

"What do you mean, Harry?" Hermione's voice broke him out of his thoughts.

"Ron… he made his bed. He chose to abandon me and it's fine." He said and chuckled hollowly. "Really, it's fine. If he wants to be like that, then fine… but I'm not forgiving him."

"Harry… I know what Ron means to you. You miss him and you're just overwhelmed because of what he did." She spoke concerned.

"I'm fine, really. Ron made his choice. Now I've made mine. It's easier this way, Hermione"

"How is this easier!? You know how Ron is, h-" He could hear the bewilderment in her voice and could understand where she was coming from.

"For me," Harry interrupted. "It's easier for me." He sighed.

He didn't want to do this. He hated talking about this and actively avoided it, even with her. But she was the only person still with him, his best friend, his girlfriend, _his_ Hermione. He could trust her.

Taking a deep breath, not looking at her but tightening his grip on her as he kept his gaze firmly over their hands, as if deriving strength from the way they fit together as he slipped his digits between hers, momentarily distracted by how perfectly they fit, he hardened his gaze and finally looked up at her and started speaking,

"Before Hogwarts… back at the Dursleys… I was a completely different person. I had no one, Hermione, no one at all. And I had to learn the hard way that the only person I could trust was myself. After a while, I stopped looking for solace in others and instead found it in myself."

"That sounds really lonely," Hermione's broken voice sounded as he felt her gently squeeze his hand.

"It's effective. Without personal attachments, without having someone to depend on… you have nothing to lose." He paused and sighed. "Ron… he was my first friend in life, the first person I ever trusted apart from Hagrid. I let him in, for the first time in my life, I dropped my walls and let someone in... and he didn't even think twice before betraying me.

"I made a mistake by letting the wrong person in… that won't happen again." He declared darkly.

"Don't… Don't shut me out Harry. You're not alone." Said Hermione, and Harry thought he could detect a plea in her tone.

Harry broke out from his brooding and gave her a genuine smile. "Of course not… I have you."

Ignoring the uncomfortable position they were in, she leapt forward and gave him a bone crushing hug, which Harry gladly reciprocated as he leaned his head on her shoulder and breathed in the scent of her hair, vanilla and old books… _just perfect_.

"Thank you," He said after a few moments.

Hermione untangled from him and looked at him with a puzzled expression. "For what?"

"For being you." He whispered while staring at her beautiful chocolate eyes.

"Always." She said as she smiled back at him.

Noticing the sun had completely set during their conversation, he stood and helped Hermione up.

"Shall we, my lady?" He asked as he motioned towards the far away castle.

"Of course, my lord." She said as he hooked her arm with his.

"So… I'm a lord now, huh?" He said after a few moments of silence.

"Of course. After all, when a peasant becomes involved with a Lady, he becomes a Lord."

"But I was never a peasant, my lady." He said, mock affronted.

"Yes you were."

"Was not."

"Were."

"Was not!"

"Were!"

Twenty minutes later the couple arrived at the castle, the argument long forgotten after Harry decided to admit defeat and they walked in silence under the stars, hands intertwined. Harry chanced a peak at the Great Hall and saw that Dumbledore wasn't there. He led Hermione back a few steps away from the door to have some privacy and squeezed her hand.

"How about you go get us some dinner while I get the list from Dumbledore and I'll meet you in the common room as soon as I'm done."

"Sure," She said with a smile. Hermione proceeded to take a quick look at the empty corridors and Harry's question was answered when she gave him a short, but passionate, kiss before walking towards the Great Hall. Harry just stood there staring at her walking figure with a smile on his face, not even a full day since they were a couple and Harry already knew it was the best decision of his life.

He walked in silence towards the Headmaster's and gave the password he heard yesterday when he reached the gargoyle at the entrance of Dumbledore's office. He made his way upstairs and knocked.

"Come in," He heard Dumbledore's voice call out before he opened the door and made his way towards the seat in front of Dumbledore.

"Good evening, Harry." Dumbledore said, his voice still had a hint of regret.

"Sir, I need a favour." He continued at Dumbledore's motion. "You wouldn't happen to have a list with the name of every student and their respective houses, would you?"

"I do indeed, Harry. Why do you ask?"

Harry proceeded to tell Dumbledore Hermione's theory and their way to catch someone who is polyjuiced. Dumbledore's expression changed completely as he paid close attention to what Harry was saying. After Harry was done, the Headmaster was deep in thought while he was running a hand through his long, silver beard.

"That is an ingenious way of using your father's map if I do say so myself, Harry." Dumbledore chuckled at his shocked face. "Come on, Harry. You didn't actually think I didn't know that you had the map your father created with his friends all those years ago and that two certain redheads were using it heavily during their first four and a half years now, did you?"

Harry pushed past his shock and focused on the task at hand. "So, do you think you can give me a copy of that list?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as they stared at him. "I believe I could, Harry."

"What about the other schools?" Harry asked hopefully. "Do you also have a list of all their students as well Professor?"

"Alas, I'm afraid I don't Harry." Said Dumbledore solemnly and Harry shoulders sagged.

After sending the teen an apologetic smile, Dumbledore reached into a drawer from his side of the desk and grabbed an old folder. Opening it, he looked through the parchments for a couple of moments before he finally grabbed four of them. The Headmaster pointed his wand at them and immediately, four copies appeared at their side. Dumbledore grabbed them and handed them to Harry, which he tentatively grabbed.

Each parchment was for an individual house. They didn't have much information, only having the students' names and what year they belonged looked at Dumbledore and gave the Headmaster a grateful smile.

"Thank you, sir."

Dumbledore gave him his grandfatherly smile. "I would of course appreciate it if you came to me if you find something out of the ordinary."

"Of course, sir" He nodded.

Harry stood up and left Dumbledore's office, walking towards the Gryffindor Tower as he finally breathed a sigh of relief. For once, he was going to end Voldemort's damn plan before it could even begin.

* * *

Hermione heard footsteps but didn't want to look away from her book as she was totally engrossed by it.

"Is he gone?" She whispered to Harry.

Ever since Harry had made it back from Dumbledore's office with the list, she had been impatiently waiting for the common room to clear out. They decided to wait it out, each reading their own book as they unabashedly cuddled together on the couch directly in front of the fireplace. It was almost midnight and only one seventh year Gryffindor was studying on a table nearby.

"Yes." Harry answered after a couple of moments and the two immediately moved. Harry grabbed the map he'd smuggled in earlier before retaking his spot on the couch while she plopped down to the floor and leaned her back on the foot of the couch. She grabbed a quill and the list, placing them on the short table in front of her before she turned to Harry.

"Ok, let's start with the Gryffindors."

Hermione started reciting names of the Gryffindors as Harry looked for them on the map. It took them about twenty minutes but she managed to cross out all the names of Gryffindors and Harry made sure there was no extra name like there was last year with Wormtail. Hermione was thankful that at least the tower was clear, she didn't know how she would have been able to sleep knowing that a death eater was inside the tower, _again_.

They followed this pattern for the next hour with the rest of the houses and found no irregularities. As every name on the student list was accounted for and there was no extra name on the map, Hermione could see Harry slowly becoming more desperate and impatient. His voice sounded more strained as he was slowly becoming angrier with each name that they confirmed.

They finally finished and in essence the castle was clean, something she was happy about at least they were safe amongst their fellow students, as safe as they could be in the castle. Harry on the other hand groaned and slumped down on the couch. He answered the unasked question before it even left her lips.

"We were supposed to find the death eater and be done with this tonight, but I guess nothing is easy for Harry bloody Potter." He said bitterly.

"Hey, at least we know that no student is polyjuiced!" She tried to cheer him up, even though she still felt this gaping fear at the fact that they didn't know anything about the spy.

Harry just shrugged and then his eyes lit up like they usually did when he had an idea.

"What about the teachers?" He said as he looked through the map.

It took him a while before he finally found the teacher's sleeping quarters.

"McGonagall, Snape, Sprout, Pomfrey, Moody, Flitwick, Trelawney, they're all here!" Harry spat out as he threw the map on the table and once again slumped out on the couch.

Hermione stood up from the floor and gently made her way onto the couch, kneeling on top of it as she grabbed his hand with both of hers.

"This is just a setback, Harry. We'll get through this. We'll find them, whoever they are." She promised, more to herself than to him.

Harry didn't answer her, he was just quiet as he stared into nothingness while his expression darkened. Hermione knew all of these signs, he was starting to agonise, but before she could say anything, he sighed deeply, dropping his head and avoiding her gaze.

"Why is it always me, Hermione?" Harry finally spoke after a few moments, sounding completely vulnerable, something she had begun to see more and more ever since the night they saved Sirius. While a part of her was happy she finally had gotten him to open up to her, but another part of her ached as she heard Harry sound like a lost child, something that wasn't the Harry he showed to everyone at all. "Why can't it be someone else for once?"

Her heart broke as she watched him. She knew he only wanted a quiet life, but it seemed as if the world was set on not letting that happen. The tournament, Sirius and Wormtail, the chamber, the stone… the Dursleys. She didn't know much about his time there but with the little she had heard, she knew it was bad. When she heard Harry speak of his time there earlier today, she had promised to herself that she would try to help him move on from his experiences with those… those…. _people_.

"Oh Harry," She choked out as she pulled him into a hug which he easily leaned into and held her tightly. She had his head on her chest as she was trying to soothe him by massaging his hair with one hand and held him around his shoulders with the other one. "We're going to be ok, Harry… I promise." She kept repeating, hoping these weren't empty promises.

Harry wasn't crying, like she thought he was. He was just holding her as tightly as he could, as if she was his only lifeline keeping him grounded while his whole world crumbled under the stress of Voldemort and the tournament. And she would be there for him, like she always was.


	16. Bruises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta-Read By Aani

Harry woke up with a large grin on his face as he remembered the exhilarating weekend he'd had. Sure, it had it's lowpoints like the whole school shunning him, Ron abandoning him, and the plan to catch the spy failing spectacularly. When he had told Dumbledore how their plan had failed early sunday morning, he felt his chest constrict as he was forced to say aloud the extent of his failure. Not even Dumbledore's words of encouragement that while it was a smart plan, he didn't think it would bring any new information made the drowning feeling of sorrow go away. Not only was he a marked man, but he was also a failure.

But all those feelings of misery and despair paled in comparison to the feelings of pure unadulterated bliss that Hermione had brought him. God, how much he loved having her as his girlfriend. She was everything he needed.

Anytime he felt his heart ache as his chest compressed, she managed to make those feelings go away with a smile and a squeeze to his hand. Anytime he had felt ashamed of himself, at how much of a failure he was, she made it go away with a hug and her words of reassurance. Anytime he felt himself drowning in the feeling of loneliness that overwhelmed him as he drew back into himself, she snogged them away and as they parted she always held him, whispered to him that everything would be ok.

Anytime she was there, all the feelings of depression, loneliness, and failure that engulfed him didn't stand a chance. She stood by him, helped him, took care of him, devoted herself to him… just like she had for the past year. But this was different, now her presence always made him feel safe, it made him feel like he wasn't alone, that someone cared for him… that someone could actually learn to love a freak like him, if he, by a miracle, managed to become worthy of it.

But now this was over. It was Monday once again. He was going to have to drown himself into his training just to survive the next few months. Hermione was going to go back to always studying, focusing on homework and classes like she always did. Not that Harry minded, in fact, he loved seeing her like that.

Seeing her bite her lower lip while focusing on a hard problem was always incredibly cute. Seeing her self-satisfied smile when she finally managed to understand a concept made him smile like an idiot. Seeing her eyes sparkle with pure joy as she browsed her books, learning everything she could, made him weak in the knees. She was beautiful that way, when she was in her element , being the brightest witch of the school… but he would go back to being alone.

 _I'm so fucking needy!_ He shouted in his head as he grabbed a pillow and threw it towards the curtains of his bed. The pillow hit the curtain and bounced back slightly, thanks to the unperturbable charm he always placed on them.

What the hell was he thinking? He knew how much Hermione loved to study, to pay attention in class, to devote herself to becoming the best version of herself. And he was thinking of taking that away from her all because he felt sad and lonely and needy.

_Such a great boyfriend you are, Potter. Go ahead and make it all about yourself._

Pushing those thoughts away, he stepped out of bed, and did his morning routine. It was still incredibly early since he hadn't managed to sleep much tonight, waking up every hour. The one thing he was thankful for was that his nightmares hadn't returned as he thought they would after his name came out of the Goblet. Since no one was still awake, he went through his morning routine, going through everything incredibly slow, not really wanting the day to start.

An hour later, Harry was down in the empty common room, sitting on the couch he appropriated the other day with Hermione. Unlike all the other times he had waited for Hermione this past year, he wasn't reading, he wasn't writing in the little journal he kept about the spells he considered most important and their basic information.

No. He was just staring, at what he didn't know. The only thing he knew was the feeling of… Loneliness? Dejection? Sadness? Failure? He couldn't quite describe it. He was only aware of how it was overpowering him, draining him of every good feeling Hermione had brought him for the past few days. Leaving him numbly staring at the armchair in front of him as he let the feeling consume him.

He had no idea how long he had been staring at that wall as every negative thought he'd ever had in his life once again popped up into his head.

_Boy! Cheater! Liar! No good freak! Coward! You'll never be good enough for her! Heir of Slytherin! Attention seeking brat! Lazy! Arrogant! Little shit! Traitor! Lost his mummy and daddy and always broods about not having a family!_

"Harry!" He heard a whisper to his right and immediately got out of his funk.

He turned to look at the most beautiful sight he had seen all day. There was Hermione, her school uniform covered by her robes. She was staring at him, her expression anxious and it only occurred to him that she screamed his name instead of whispering it.

He put on the biggest smile he could fake. "Good morning, beautiful!" He forced out.

Hermione, clearly not convinced by his facade, ignored his remark. "Harry, are you ok?" Her voice was soft, oh so soft. But the concern was clear in her tone.

_Merlin, why do you always do that! Stop letting me drag you down and don't worry about me. I'll just prevent you from growing but I need you and I'm too needy and selfish to let you go, so please don't leave me._

"I'm fine," He said, trying as hard as he could try to sound nonchalant while he put up another fake smile.

Hermione just stared at him, narrowing her eyes as they pierced his soul and Harry felt as if she was reading him like one of her books, sensing everything he was feeling.

After a couple of moments, she gave an almost inaudible huff and did something Harry didn't expect. Completely ignoring the fact that the common room wasn't empty anymore, she casually curled up next to him on the couch he'd been sitting at for Merlin knows how long, put her arms around his middle, hugging him to her, seemingly trying to join their bodies as one, while she buried her face into his chest.

Slowly but surely, all the emptiness he felt, the feelings of loneliness, sadness, and rejection that were flooding him were disappearing as Harry gained more hope by the second.

_She's here. She's real. She won't leave me. She promised._

And he allowed himself to believe it, not just because he needed to believe it… but because he trusted her. After everything she had done for him, all the times she'd been there for him, supported him, saved him, he trusted her with his life, with his heart, and with his soul. He knew that she wouldn't let anything happen to him.

It took him a while, but he finally rested his head on top of hers and he felt her squeeze him tighter. They spent another ten minutes there in complete silence, ignoring everyone else that was there. He felt Hermione untangle from him and move back from him and he instantly felt her loss, already missed having her by his side.

"Better?" She asked as a small smile appeared on her face.

"Loads." He said, returning a small smile back to her.

She brightened up at that. "Good," Her expression then turned incredibly serious and dangerous, making Harry actually move a little bit away from her as he gulped. "And don't you forget it, Potter!" He nodded absentmindedly and Hermione huffed. "Honestly! How many times do I have to tell you!? I'm. Not. Leaving. You. Harry. James. Potter." She enunciated, harshly prodding his chest with each word.

"Sorry," Harry mumbled dejectedly as he looked down at his lap and fidgeted with his shirt.

He was surprised when he felt a pair of arms surround him and pull him into an incredibly tight hug as Hermione once again immersed herself into his chest.

"I guess I'll just have to remind you every day." She mumbled to his chest and he chuckled a little at that.

Moving towards a better position, which was still uncomfortable since they were both sitting down, he pulled her more into the hug as he buried his face into her mane of hair, the vanilla smell instantly calming him.

"Thank you." He muttered into her hair and he felt her laugh.

After a few moments they pulled back and he couldn't help but admire her face. Her eyes were lit up with something Harry couldn't quite understand, but it did make her glow. The bright smile on her face was perfect and her slightly ruffled hair just completed the picture. She had never looked this beautiful.

The girl in question brought him out of his thoughts when she got up and extended her hand to him, motioning him to grab it. She pulled him up and immediately caught hold of his hand, sending a warm sensation directly to his chest that made him smile like an idiot.

"Come on, you don't want your girlfriend to go hungry, now, do you?." She said before they both made their way towards the Great Hall, Harry laughing at her humour.

They arrived and took what had become their usual place these past two days, at the end of the table with the few people that actively supported Harry. It wasn't until they were seated that Hermione's hand, and the warmth it brought, left him and he instantly missed it.

"Here you go!" Hermione's cheerful voice brought him out of his feelings of loss as she passed him a cup of coffee and once again occupied his hand, making him smile.

He grabbed the cup with his right hand and drank a little coffee, his eyes widening as he realized it was exactly how he wanted it, with just enough milk and sugar to overcome the bitterness of the coffee. He beamed his thanks at her and she gave him a shy smile, her cheeks reddening gorgeously.

Harry spent breakfast quietly, listening to the others converse while he was solely focused on the feeling of Hermione by his side. Hermione holding his hand. Hermione still being there even though it was morning. Hermione-

There was a booming sound that echoed throughout the Hall which caused Harry to look up. When he did, he saw hundreds of owls flooding the Great Hall, way more than the usual amount and most of them were headed towards less than a minute, his place (and the ones nearby) were swamped with letters. In a second, Harry spotted quite a few howlers and could only cover his ears as dozens of them exploded.

Even with his ears covered, the sound was almost unbearable, making him dizzy as he gained a headache. He couldn't actually hear what they were saying since the voices were overlapping each other, making them all blend together into a mess.

It took about three minutes before the final howler stopped and Harry could feel the glares coming from everyone in the Great Hall. Not that he cared at this point, they could all sod off and give shit to someone else in his opinion.

Even though Harry knew what was in those letters, the howlers making the intention pretty clear, he tried reaching for one. But before he could even grab the first letter, Hermione beat him to it, grabbing a big pile of them. As she opened them and began to read them, she scowled at them before throwing them to the table with such distaste you would think they were sullying her hand. Harry could only watch as she repeated this process a few times.

Throwing the final letter she picked up with a fury he had never seen before from her, not even when she slapped Malfoy last year. For a moment, he thought that she was going to reach for her wand but she didn't. Instead just scowling at the letters once more, she looked at the head table for a moment, before she grabbed Harry by the arm and basically dragged him out of the Great Hall, muttering something he couldn't quite hear.

Harry said nothing and just followed her to the charms classroom, too scared to actually say anything. He'd never seen Hermione this angry, you could pretty much see the fume escaping her ears as her face had a permanent glare.

As soon as they were in the empty Charms classroom, Harry was seated while Hermione paced in front of him. He heard the occasional "Honestly!" and "Idiots!", but didn't say much. It took another twenty minutes of Hermione pacing, but after Flitwick and some other students arrived she finally huffed, sat down besides him and prepared herself for class.

All through Charms and History of Magic, Hermione acted the same. She was quiet… eerily quiet, not even answering questions in classes quiet. He often spotted her in deep thought, though Harry didn't think it was about the class.

When History of Magic, which Harry basically started using to read up on his defense books since the beginning of term, ended, Harry left the classroom with Hermione, ignoring everyone else's glares at him. He could see that Hermione was much better, though he could spot a glint of determination in her eyes.

He raised a questioning eyebrow and she gave him a sweet smile before grabbing hold of his hand, intertwining their fingers as she did so, as they headed off for the Great Hall, a smile crept onto Harry's features as a shiver of pleasure ran through his spine.

"I have my study group today," She blurted out as they were walking through the halls, sounding more miserable than excited which made Harry's heart sore from the depths in plummeted to at the thought of Hermione leaving him.

_I still need to train today so I guess this is a good thing, maybe sh-_

"And don't think for a moment I've forgotten that I'm joining you for training, mister." She brought him out of his thoughts as she raised an eyebrow at him. "This is actually my last meeting, after this I'll be joining you for each one of your sessions." His face gained the biggest grin at that. "We need to prepare for the tournament and… why are you smiling like that." She said as she turned to look at him and saw his expression.

"Nothing," He replied without losing the grin from his face. "Just the thought of spending every afternoon with you." He shrugged at her narrowed eyes.

Hermione's expression softened in a second as she beamed at him, her eyes sparkling.

"Weeell…" She drawled as she leaned against him while they walked. "I guess spending the afternoons with you wouldn't be so bad." She leaned against his ear and spoke in an almost inaudible voice. "And maybe, if you do good in our little sessions, you could be rewarded."

She smiled at him and walked ahead, joining Lavender and Parvati as they arrived at the entrance of the Great Hall, turning around to look at him once to still find him rooted to the spot when she threw him a playful wink as she gave him a dazzling smile from over her shoulder and Harry felt a little lightheaded just being the recipient of her flirtation. His expression only brightened as his goofy grin split his face in two. He never imagined Hermione would be this… enthusiastic about their activities, not that he would complain. Not at all. And just like that, all apprehensions of Hermione joining him for training were gone.

* * *

"Ummm, Hermione. Are you sure you're ok?" She heard Harry's voice from her right, repeating the same thing he'd said twice in the past ten minutes as she, as gracefully as she could, made the best impression of a famished Ron.

Even though the day started out being pretty vexing, what with Harry drifting into his broody subspace and all the abusive letters he received. She had a plan. She had a lot of plans actually. The most important, and the one she was going to start in a couple of moments, was making sure no more letters like that were delivered to Harry.

That was the easy one… the other one was the one she was concerned about. She had become incredibly worried after what she saw this morning. It took Harry about half a minute before he snapped out of whatever trance he was in.

After what he had told her about the Dursleys at the end of last year, she spent the first half of the summer researching about victims of child abuse. After what he had told her, she was convinced Harry had been abused one way or another, and what she read just confirmed those suspicions. Harry had all the characteristics of an abused child; his rebellious behaviour and distrust of authority figures, his lack of self-worth, the fact that he doesn't think twice before risking his life, his broody episodes, the way he used to stiffen at her hug, his muggle clothes being clearly too large for him, the way he often cared more about others than himself. It all fit.

But she had never seen the expression he had on his face this morning, not even after the attack at the Quidditch World Cup. He looked… empty, like a shell of himself looking at an abyss. Having read a book about dementors last year, she saw how people looked after the dementor's kiss, and today Harry's expression eerily reminded her of that.

He looked hollow, empty, you could feel how deep in his self-hatred by just looking at him. The Harry in front of her this morning was a shell of the Harry she knew and loved. And it was worse when he put up that fake smile, acting like nothing was happening with him. As she watched him, she felt her heart break, her chest constrict as her insides flipped, making her nauseous. It killed her to see Harry like that.

She didn't know how long or how deep Harry had been suffering silently, but she'd help him whatever way she could. Harry had promised he would tell her more about the Dursleys but still hadn't said anything after all this time. She would try again soon, but knowing Harry, she was sure that he'd avoid the subject.

So she vowed to help him, even if he didn't want her to, she would. She had to.

"Oh, honestly Harry! I'm fine." She said absentmindedly. "I'm just in a bit of a hurry, that's all."

Harry rolled his eyes at her and once again focused on his own food. She felt him take her hand as he forced himself to eat with his left one. Hermione's heart was fluttering when she saw that. She loved how much Harry wanted to always be with her - grabbing her hand, snuggling with her, kissing her. He couldn't stop touching her and she didn't want him to either - _ever_.

Though a part of her heart broke thinking what it meant, realising how touch starved Harry was, how this meant that his relatives didn't even bestow any casual touches of affection on him, likely even when he was a little boy which explained Harry's initial reluctance to touch people and his reaction to her hugs. She was glad though, now, at least as far as she was concerned, Harry was slowly opening up and seeking her out to satiate his fill for basic human contact.

That now his touches weren't just limited to casually tapping her on the shoulder or a brush of his hand while passing something during their meals made her incredibly happy. No, Harry wanted and desired more from her and she knew that now without any doubts plaguing her mind. She couldn't stop a small smile from appearing on her face at the thought of them kissing. Initially she had assumed that it would be slow going considering it was Harry and she was perfectly okay with that.

She had been prepared to go at a pace he was comfortable with and if it meant only a single kiss a day she'd somehow still be fine with it even if she wanted more. In a moment of silliness she had even thought about keeping a journal just dedicated to their kisses and hugs to present it to Harry one day when it was full but now that seemed like a silly and frankly impossible to maintain idea.

She had realised as far as she was concerned, a floodgate had opened and all but been destroyed by Harry with the way that they kept touching each other now and with the number of times that they kissed, irrelevant to who was the initiator and how short or long or heated their kisses got. They've been doing that a lot recently and she realised with a surge of affection for her boyfriend that she still wanted more, she was insatiable for kissing him and Harry was always willing to comply.

As soon as she finished she looked up towards the head table. Seeing that Professor Dumbledore wasn't there, she stood up, flinging her book bag on her shoulder as she did.

"I'll see you later, ok?" She asked sweetly.

Harry returned the smile before once again taking hold of her hand, kissing it lightly. "Ok."

Hermione flushed as her insides danced the tango. She couldn't help but smile widely at Harry's sweet gesture. It also made her want to snog his brains out, but she wouldn't do that… at least not in public.

She silently made her way towards Dumbledore's office. Ten minutes later she was standing in front of the Gargoyle and for the first time she realized she didn't know the password.

"Umm… could you please move?" She pleaded with the Gargoyle. "I really need to speak to Professor Dumbledore."

The silence was deafening and she felt her cheeks flush with shame. _Great idea Granger, talk to a stone Gargoyle. Surely if you ask it nicely, it'll come to life, right?_

Hermione groaned before she started thinking what to do. She knew that Harry went to talk to Professor Dumbledore yesterday so surely he would know the password… Harry! He had told her that Dumbledore had this weird fascination with wizard candies and often used them as passwords.

"Ummm… Chocolate frogs...?" She said, doubting Professor Dumbledore would use something as stupid as that as a password.

Surprisingly, the Gargoyle did move.

"I can't believe that worked." Hermione muttered to herself in awe while shaking her head as she started walking towards the stairs. "Thank you," She said to the inanimate object.

_Very smart, Granger. Keep talking to things that won't talk back._

Hermione made her way up the stairs, promising to herself to find a way to kill the voice in her head. She arrived at the door and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as she squared her shoulders and put on the most determined expression she could. She was about to knock when she suddenly heard a grandfatherly voice call out to her.

"Come on in, Miss Granger."

Hermione's cheeks flushed and her jaw dropped at the fact that Professor Dumbledore knew she was there.

 _Of course he knows you're here, he's_ _**the** _ _Albus Dumbledore!_

_Oh shush, will you!?_

She opened the door and stepped inside the office. She had never been there before and couldn't help but admire it. There were portraits of all the previous Headmasters and Headmistresses (she knew from _Hogwarts: A History_ ), a table full of odd trinkets, and Professor Dumbledore's desk, in front of a large amount of bookshelves filled with books.

Hermione though wasn't entranced by the books, for she had just laid her eyes on a beautiful phoenix that was seated on a perch on top of Professor Dumbledore's desk. She had met the phoenix once before on the Hogwarts Express, but she couldn't help but marvel at its beauty. The bird was as elegant and proud as she remembered, but he looked even more beautiful now than when she met him a couple of months ago.

She gingerly made her way towards the desk and, completely ignoring the fact that Dumbledore was right in front of her, she tentatively stroked the phoenix's head as the bird leaned into her touch.

 _Thank you for taking care of my Harry._ She thought fondly as a smile creeped up on her face while she was stroking the phoenix.

"I see that Fawkes clearly likes you, Miss Granger." Professor Dumbledore called out with a soft voice and Hermione squeaked before flushing with embarrassment at having completely forgotten about Professor Dumbledore's presence.

"It's quite alright, Miss Granger." The Headmaster chuckled. "Fawkes is truly an amazing creature and you wouldn't be the first one to be bewitched by him." He spoke as he now stroked the phoenix.

Hermione said nothing as she sat down on the seat in front of Professor Dumbledore's desk., mentally preparing herself.

"I wanted to talk to you about what happened today…" Hermione paused but continued at Professor Dumbledore's questioning look "About the letters. **Harry's** letters."

"Oh," Professor Dumbledore said as he began stroking his long beard. "I assumed Harry wouldn't want them and had them be disposed of. Though if h-"

"NO!" She nearly screamed and flushed again in shame. "It's not that." She continued more determinedly. "I wanted to see if there was a way to prevent them from reaching Harry."

"I'm afraid that isn't possible Miss Granger-"

"WHAT!? Why!? He's a minor! How can strangers write to a minor because of the… of the… of the _lies_ that Skeeter woman wrote!?" She hissed with distaste.

_Is Professor Dumbledore really not going to do anything about them!?_

"I'm afraid there is no law in the wizarding world that prohibits sending letters to a minor. The most I can do is make sure they are disposed of when they arrive." He said solemnly.

"But… but… He would still have to deal with the letters flooding him! Knowing that they are still sending them! You...you're Chief Warlock of the Wizengamont! You have to be able to do something!" Hermione nearly shouted, her toned laced with pleading.

This was Albus Dumbledore. If someone could help Harry it was him! Couldn't he do anything!?

"I'm sorry, Miss Granger. I know you care about Harry, but there's nothing I can do. The best thing would be for him to ignore the letters that do arrive." The Headmaster replied sadly.

She couldn't believe it. She had the perfect plan. Of course Professor Dumbledore could stop the letters from arriving. It was perfect! But he can't. She felt like a failure. How was she going to help Harry through something as bad as his Dursley problems when she couldn't even stop some bloody letters from reaching him!?

"Thank you for your time, Professor." She replied curtly before proceeding to leave the office.

She was moving ferociously through the halls. She wanted to vent. She wanted to scream. She wanted an outlet to let her rage out of her system. Suddenly Harry's idea the other day of taking it out on dummies didn't seem that silly or ridiculous.

_Ugh! I have to deal with those morons now!_

She hated the stupid study group. If anyone were to ask her why she kept going, she wouldn't have an answer. It wasn't even good for studying since everyone just used the time as, _ask Hermione questions hour_. They were all snakes! It took her a couple of weeks to figure it out but they were!

The only thing they cared about was moving up their 'ladder' of student placement. Not that Hermione wasn't proud to be at the top spot in every class… _well not every class_. She thought wistfully remembering Harry still keeping his spot on DADA and being pretty near her in Transfiguration, Charms, and surprisingly Potions. _If only you made an effort in all the other classes, Harry_. She thought wistfully.

The difference between her and them was that they loudly boasted their placements in their stupid ranking list during the study sessions. She even heard some, like Smith, cheating to keep up with the others. The thing that surprised her the most was that, besides Neville, she found that the most pleasant students to be around were the only Slytherins, Tracey and Daphne.

Lost in her mental tirade, she didn't even notice that she had already arrived at the Library and was moving directly towards the already full table. She got there and plopped down in between Neville and Daphne, as usual. She didn't even bothered to grab a book and hide her thinking as she tried coming up with new ways to help Harry with those stupid letters.

"Hermione!" Neville's voice brought her out of her reverie.

"Huh? What?" She said dumbfoundedly as she saw everyone staring at her.

"We're starting." Neville shrugged shyly.

"Right." She said curtly, pulling out her potions book to prepare for today's quiz.

Before she could even start reviewing the Skele-Gro potion, she heard what she was sure would be the first of an onslaught of questions.

"Hermione, did you finish the Charms homework?" She heard Ernie ask.

She looked up from her book, not even bothering to hide the glare. She hated when people asked her if she had finished her homework so that they could 'compare answers'. She only let Ron do it because they were friends, but everytime she lent her homework to someone here she did more out of obligation than because she wanted to.

"Of course she didn't, Ernie." Spat out what she was sure was the most annoying voice in the world. "She spent all weekend being lovey dovey with the cheater."

She turned to look at Smith and she could see out of the corner of her eye as Ernie flinched away from her glare.

"Excuse me?" Her voice was cold, dangerously cold and the tense silence that followed was deafening.

"You heard me, Granger. I guess now that he's a _champion_ there's nothing to stop you from being all over him, huh?" Smith didn't seem deterred by the way she was all but snarling at him. "We all know he's a cheater, Granger. The whole school knows. Why don't you accept it?"

She looked around, raising an eyebrow in question at the rest of the teens and saw all the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws slowly scrunch up their determinations and nod at what Smith had said. Daphne and Tracey were pretty much indifferent, neither looking up from their respective books. Neville was looking anywhere at her, whether it was shame, fear, or sadness she didn't know.

"Oh, so now you all agree he's a cheater, right?" She spoke coldly. "What about this past month? _Oh Hermione, please please please tell Harry to join us will you? He always listens to you!_ " She said in her best imitation of Smith and saw all the group flinch. "And now he's a liar? A cheater? A coward?"

"He put his name in the Goblet of Fire! He cheated his way into the tournament!" Ernie snapped at her as he stood from his chair.

"Just like he was the Heir of Slytherin, right Ernie!?" She snapped back as she mirrored Ernie and stood, not giving anyone an inch.

"It's obvious he cheated! How else would his name come out!?" Smith spat, hitting the table with his fist as he stood up as well.

"You really are an idiot," She said and gave a hollow chuckle. "I mean, I always knew you were dumb, but you are a complete moron! There were a lot of older students that also tried! How could a fourth year do what some sixth years couldn't!? Or did he use the same dark magic he used during his little stint as Heir of Slytherin?" She asked sarcastically.

"I don't even know why I waste my time with you idiots!" She continued. "I mean, seriously. I don't get anything here. All you do is ask me questions constantly or copy off my homework and then go around bragging about being on whatever place of your stupid list you've come up with! I'm done wasting my time with you, I'd even say I got more out of studying with Ronald Weasley than I did when studying with you! And believe me, **that** is saying something."

She started packing up her stuff as everyone just watched her, jaws on the floor. She was turning around, flinging her book back as she did, when she heard Smith call out to her.

"Run back to the cheater! If I were you, I'd savour all the time I could have with him since I doubt he'd survive the first task of the tournament! Honestly, he's just going to make a foo-"

Smith didn't get to continue as Hermione twirled back and punched the little brat in the nose as hard as she could. As her fist connected with his nose, she heard a crunch sound as Smith staggered backwards from the blow, landing on his chair as he immediately covered up his bleeding honker.

Hermione looked around and saw everyone giving her apprehensive looks as they all practically flinched away from her. Though, she couldn't help but notice Daphne and Tracey's amused expressions as if they were watching a live show in front of them.

"Anyone else want to say anything about Harry?" She asked coldly with a defiant raised eyebrow. After a couple moments of resounding silence she continued. "That's what I thought." She turned around and started walking but didn't get far before she turned around. "Oh, and for the record. I've been wanting to do that for a while now."

Hermione resumed walking. She didn't want to admit it, but Smith's words had gotten to her. She had spent these past few days snogging Harry and generally fooling around with him instead of focusing on helping him with this blasted tournament. And now, there was about three weeks before Harry was going to face… Merlin, she didn't even know what he was going to face! What the hell was she doing wasting her time here!?

"Hermione!" A voice from behind her brought her out of her thoughts just as she was reaching the exit to the library.

She turned around and saw Neville running towards her, bookbag on his shoulders. As soon as he reached her, the chubby boy doubled down as he gripped his knees, panting wildly.

"Ummm… Neville?" The boy continued panting, she didn't have time for this! "What are you doing?"

"Sorry," She thought she heard through all the paintings but couldn't be sure. She crossed her arms and waited impatiently for him to get a hold of himself, it took him a couple more seconds but he finally did. "Sorry. I should've believed Harry. I should've stood up for him. I should've done something. I just… I just…"

"Hey," She interrupted the boy before he could continue and tried to placate him. "Don't worry. I'm sure Harry knows you don't hate him. You're one of the few people who hasn't been glaring or shouting at us."

Ok, she didn't _know_ that. _But to be fair, Harry has been a little bit preoccupied with the tournament, snogging, the spy, snogging, our relationship… did I mention snogging?_

"I know, still. I… I'll back him up from now on. I promise."

She gave the boy a sweet smile making red bloom on his cheeks. "Thank you, Neville. That will mean the world to Harry." She gave him a quizzical look. "You should probably go back before they get started."

"Oh," The boy flushed scarlet as he suddenly found the ground very interesting. "I… er… I kind of quit." Hermione raised an eyebrow at him and he continued without actually seeing her expression. "I never really liked them much to be honest. The only reason I joined was because you asked me to and you were there…"

"Oh… " She said, caught off guard by him. "Well… err… if you want we could study for the term finals, after the first task. I'm sure Harry would love to join." She suggested, feeling guilty that now Neville didn't have anyone to study with.

"I'd like that! Thanks Hermione!" He said as he sent her a genuine smile.

"Anytime." She said awkwardly and let the uncomfortable silence stew for a while. "I… I kinda have to go now, Nev."

"Right. I'll see you later."

"See you later!" She said and quickly turned around, hoping to find Harry and actually use the next hour and a half to do something productive.

Thankfully, the library was pretty close to the room, so it didn't take longer than five minutes before she was entering the room. What she saw surprised her, the room was incredibly large and had various different sections. The small library in the corner obviously caught her eye but what really had her attention was the dueling arena.

It wasn't like any dueling arena she had ever seen, it was designed more like a battlefield with places you could easily take cover from spells. But she wasn't paying attention to that, she was paying attention at the three armed dummies that were slowly making their way towards Harry, who was currently hiding, taking cover.

Faster than she thought was possible, she saw Harry roll out of his cover, send a curse in the process that hit a dummy square in the chest and blew it up! He didn't even spend a second in the crouched position he ended up in before he quickly stood and moved to the side, dodging a spell she didn't recognize in the process.

Harry sent another curse to the dummy on his right and just when Hermione thought it was going to hit, she saw it get caught in a shield. Clearly not expecting that, Harry was caught off guard as the other dummy sent a spell his way that hit him, sending him launching and roughly crashing the wall behind him.

"Harry!" She screamed out as soon as his head hit the wall and ran towards him, completely oblivious of both dummy's disappearance as soon as the spell hit the raven haired boy.

Just when she was reaching him she heard him muttering while rubbing his head.

"Hermione's voice is in my head, again. I'm pretty sure that can't be a good sign."

"I'm here you idiot!" She hissed venomously as she reached him, his eyes widening comically as he saw her.

Hermione quickly began analyzing him, looking for wounds. She didn't miss the fact he flinched when she touched his chest. She ran her hand through the back of his head and was thankful that at least there wasn't any blood from the impact. She turned to him with the same glare she sported just ten minutes ago.

"What were you thinking!? Do you want to get yourself killed!?" She shrieked at him, causing him to flinch away from her.

"I'm fine Hermione, it's just training." He said nonchalantly.

"Really?" She said, raising her eyebrow. "Lift up your shirt."

"Hermione, we just started dating a few days ago. Don't you think that's moving a litt-" He started, trying to sound cheeky and flirtatious but couldn't manage to keep the slight tremor of trepidation out of his voice. Hermione didn't let him finish as she interrupted him.

"The shirt, Potter! Now!"

"I'm fi-"

She, once again, didn't let him complete his sentence as she roughly grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it up just below his chest. Harry immediately pulled it down, but her breath hitched and she felt her chest constrict as she managed to spot how his middle was covered in purple bruises. _Probably by the spells_. She ruminated before reaching a horrifying conclusion. _Is he self-harming!?_ She'd read about it and learnt it was common in victims of abuse and trauma, both areas Harry clearly didn't lack experience. Surely the dummies could send him tickling jinxes instead of hitting him with whatever they hit him!

She was about to admonish him but she saw him staring at her hand.

"Who did this to you!?" He exclaimed exasperated as he gently took in her right hand and began massaging the bruised spot where she connected with Smith's nose.

"It's nothing, Harry. I just hit someo-"

"Who!?" He asked desperately.

"It doesn't matter," Hermione dismissed him, knowing that he would track and hex down Smith for making her punch him and bruise her hand. "What are you doing, Harry!?" Her tone was no longer aggressive or admonishing, it was firm yet pleading at the same time.

"I'm training." He dismissed her and she saw he was about to try to change the topic.

"No! This is excessive! Why did you need to fight three du-"

"There were actually five." He muttered to himself.

"Five! Why five! And why have them use curses that launch you across the room!" She sounded flabbergasted.

"It helps!" He said, his voice raising slightly.

"How does this help! You're supposed to be learning, not having dummies use you as target practice! Why are you so adamant at making this as hurtful as possible!" She asked him in a high tone.

"Because it's not a game, Hermione!" He snapped. "Why do I use three, or five, or ten dummies!? Because when I'm out there, I don't know how many death eaters I'll face. They're not going to stand in line and take turns! This helps me get in the zone! Because out there, if I make a mistake, I can't just come back the next day and try again! If I make a mistake out there, I could die!" She saw him gulp and continue, his voice broken.

"Others could die…. If I use tickling jinxes or tongue-tying curses, I'll get complacent. I won't worry about getting hit _when_ I'm out there in another real life confrontation and someone else will die because of a stupid mistake!"

"You don't have to do this, Harry." Hermione pleaded, knowing it was more for herself than anything. As much as she hated to admit it, in a twisted way he did make sense. But after everything he's been through, she hated seeing him do it to himself. What she would give to allow Harry to be a normal teen. To relieve him of all the burdens he carried and take them as her own.

"But I do! I'm not doing this because I get a kick out of being hurt! I'm not doing it because it's easy! I certainly don't do it because it's fun!" He gave a deep sigh. "I do it because I have to." He finished, pleading with her to understand.

She lowered her head once again. Since the start of the day she'd been feeling like a complete failure. She couldn't help Harry with the myriad of letters that arrived. She didn't know how to help him with his issues about his home life. And now she couldn't even stop him from harming himself. But she'd be damned if she let him do it alone.

"Fine!" She said defiantly and looked him in the eyes, daring him to stop her. "But if you train like that then I'll also train like that."

"No!"

"Yes! I told you I would train with you. That means I will go through the same scenarios you go through."

"But you'll get hurt!" He exclaimed as he stood up.

"You don't seem to have a problem with it! Why should I!?" She snapped back, standing to be on the same footing as him.

"Please. You don't ha-"

"The hell I don't! I'm not changing my mind, Potter. So deal with it! Either we both get hurt or none of us do!"

She could see the defeat in his eyes before his expression even changed. She hated seeing that look in Harry's beautiful emerald orbs, but if he was willing to hurt himself, then he had to be willing to let her do the same.

"Look," He took a deep breath before looking directly at her eyes pleadingly. "I've been at this for four months and still have a lot of trouble in the scenarios I put myself into. Would you at least be willing to not introduce dummies to your training for a month just so I can make sure you're at least prepared? After a month... I-I'll consider it."

"Fine! You get one month but then I start practicing with the dummies. And I will! You won't get to consider it! Am I clear?"

He nodded once before looking down at the ground, not wanting to meet her eyes. She moved closer to him and grabbed both his hands with hers, intertwining their fingers slowly.

"Harry. I told you that I will stand by you, whatever you face. Whether it's trolls, basilisks, dementors, or Voldemort I'll always be with you. Wouldn't it be best for me to be prepared?" Hermione said, trying to reach him and get him out of his selfless prat funk.

He nodded hesitantly. "I know, I just don't-"

"Want to see me get hurt?" She finished for him with a small smile and saw him nod once again. "I also don't want to see you get hurt, Harry. It goes both ways. But I know this is for the best, so please stop worrying about me and just try to think of this logically." She released one of his hands and used it to stroke his cheek tenderly.

He leaned into the touch, closing his eyes as he did before he closed the distance between them. Surprisingly, he didn't kiss her. He just hugged her tightly and she gladly reciprocated.

"I'll never not worry about you, Hermione."

Her heart fluttered at Harry's words, the intensity in his voice portraying the complete sincerity. Everyone always admired his bravery and kindness, but few recognized his passion. She'd always considered Harry the most passionate person she'd known, but it wasn't until this moment she realized Harry didn't do half measures. When he cared about you, it was all or nothing for him, he did so with a passion unrivaled by anyone… not that she wouldn't try to rival it. She'd been trying ever since he had saved her from a troll that fateful night.

"I'll never not worry about you either, Harry." She spoke softly as she propped her head on his shoulder, basking on the feeling of having him in her arms, where she could keep him safe… where she could show him how much he meant to her.

After a couple of silent minutes, they untangled from each other.

"What do you say we stop wasting time and start training, huh?" She said with a slight smile.

Harry gave her a small smile and she was happy to see it was a genuine one.

* * *

Harry had just reached the potions classroom, sat down, and pulled out his quill and parchments. Hermione sat beside him while Parvati and Lavender took the places across the couple.

As he waited for Snape he once again berated himself for being an idiot and letting Hermione catch him while dueling the dummies. Even though they happily trained after that, Harry explaining to Hermione how he started his training, the spells he chose to focus on, and having her start simple by seeing how good she was with a disarming charm, he wasn't surprised when he found out she was pretty good with it. He still didn't like the thought of Hermione practicing with the dummies like he did.

He hated the thought of her getting hurt. He hated the thought of her having to train.

 _Don't you think she feels the same way about you?_ The voice in his head screamed at him, making him consider the negatives of hexing your own brain.

But she was right.

_Like she always is!_

_Shut up, will you?_

She was right. It was better for her to train because he knew she would never, willingly, let him go and confront whatever was coming on his own. While he didn't want her to put herself in harm's way, he knew that he wouldn't make it without her. She'd saved his life just as many times as he'd saved hers.

At least if she trained with him she would be prepared and could defend herself when push came to shove. At least he could keep an eye on her if they trained together. He didn't doubt her determination and drive to train and the thought of Hermione alone and getting hurt as she trained was a punch to the solar plexus.

He snuck a peak at her and saw she was intensely studying her potions book. He couldn't stop himself as he took her hand and intertwined their fingers, sending a feeling of warmth throughout his body that made him smile like an idiot. He could see out of the corner of his eye that Hermione was trying her best, and failing, to suppress the small smile that had appeared on her face. He loved seeing that holding hands also affected her the way it affected him.

He looked up and saw Lavender raise an eyebrow at him, her face adorned by a knowing smirk. He just rolled his eyes and shook his head, making the girl's smirk turn into a full on grin. He was really regretting Hermione and her becoming close. He turned and looked at the rest of the classroom, seeing Neville looking at him from the table where the other Gryffindor boys were at. While the other three, along with the rest of the classroom, was glaring at him, Neville gave him a small apologetic smile.

Harry reciprocated it, at this point accepting anyone who wasn't glaring at him and knowing that Neville hadn't actually turned hostile against him or Hermione. He turned back to look at his girlfriend, he loved seeing her like that. Her head was tilted while she was biting her lip in concentration as she read through her book.

Suddenly, Harry heard the door bang against the wall and close soon after. Snape entered, his robes billowing behind him as he made his way to his desk, carrying the parchments Harry was sure would be today's quizzes.

The greasy git looked up and snarled at everyone before picking up a separate piece of parchment and started calling out roll call. Already used to this routine, Harry grabbed his quill and started doodling what he intended to be a cat similar to Crookshanks, but thanks to his magnificent drawing abilities turned out to be a ball with some weird limbs and triangle ears.

"Potter!" He heard Snape call out.

Harry slowly lifted his head to glare at the teacher.

"Here." He said coldly before returning to his doodling, Hermione though removed her hand from his for a second, poked him in the ribs, and then intertwined their fingers again.

Harry heard the greasy git moving towards him and looked up from his doodling after he covered his piece of art with another parchment. He was genuinely surprised at Snape's actions since he hadn't pulled a stunt like this ever since the conversation they had in Dumbledore's office at the beginning of the year. Removing his hand from Hermione's before Snape reached him, not wanting to have Snape calling it out to the whole class, he waited expectantly for whatever Snape was planning.

"Our champion," He drawled with distaste. "You might be exempt from this year's final exams, but that doesn't give you the right to disturb my class, Potter!"

"Funny how you are the one interrupting the class to call me out on me answering roll call, isn't it Snivellus?" He said, wanting to remind Snape he wasn't in control anymore.

"You must be having the time of your life, aren't you Potter. You did it, you managed to cheat your way into becoming a _champion_." Stressing the word with all the venom he could pour on it. "With all the attention you're getting in the school and the Daily Prophet, you finally got what you wanted." The greasy git sneered at him.

"Oh totally," He remarked, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "Who would be satisfied with being the one and only _boy who lived_ when you could be one out of four champions, am I right?"

"Still as arrogant as always, Potter. You should be pissing yourself, because I doubt you'd even survive one minute of the first task without cowering in fear and running back to poor old Padfoot."

All the Slytherins, and even the other Gryffindor boys, except Neville, laughed. _The idiots are laughing when none of them even understand what the greasy git meant. What a bunch of wankers!_

Harry saw red and wanted to lash out at the bastard, even considering decking him just for that. But before he could even open his mouth to snarl at the git, Snape beat him to it.

"At least I'm glad the Prophet is actually reporting the facts as they are. Maybe this way the whole wizarding world will now learn the arrogant, lazy, cheater you are Potter!"

Once again the dungeons were filled with sniggering brats at Snape's insults, but to Harry they were more than insults. He spotted the hidden threat within them. The last time they had a confrontation like this one, he had threatened to send his memories to the prophet and use his fame to fire him. But now… now with the prophet under Fudge's thumb and dead set against him, the newspaper would most likely hail Snape as a hero and vilify Harry even more. Harry had just lost his trump card, but he wouldn't allow that to remove him from the game completely. He smirked at Snape, hoping his confidence would deter the git from continuing down this road.

"Oh yeah, I've seen the passion of the wizarding world up front. I'm lucky that at least Professor Dumbledore, _the most powerful wizard in the world_ , still believes me and has helped me out with dealing with all those letters, wouldn't you say, Snivellous?"

Snape glared at him, his lips twitching into a full snarl before he walked away.

_Stalemate bitch!_

With Dumbledore on his side, the greasy git couldn't touch him!

Oh sure, the threat of Dumbledore still supporting him wasn't a perfect one, it definitely wouldn't work as well as the Daily Prophet threat. He and his friends might have lost the protection from the git's taunts, jibes , and snarls inside the classroom or in private. But at least he still couldn't do anything big in front of Dumbledore, he couldn't give him detention or remove points for nothing, and most importantly, he couldn't grade him or his friends (Hermione being the most important in his book) unfairly.

It was as good as he was going to get and Snape knew it too. While he didn't actually like this unspoken arrangement, not at all, it was the best he could do at the moment and he gladly accepted it over what he had the previous three years.

Snape reached his desk and with the flick of his wand he sent a quiz towards each student.

"You have ninety minutes! Start!" He snarled before sitting down on his desk, propping his feet on top of his desk, and began reading a book.

Harry gave a small sigh as he bowed his head over to take a look at his parchment. He hated the theoretical potions quizzes, they made no sense to him. Why even bother to learn what the ingredients for a potion are and what order the steps come in when he could always check the book for that. He'd much rather have practical ones where he would be tested on how he actually was as a potion maker.

After about ninety gruelling minutes, where he scrambled through his brain trying to recall all the useless facts about potions, he finally finished. Thankfully, he was confident he'd at least get an _E_ , mostly to impress Hermione rather than because he cared about his grades. At this point he'd brewed the potions perfectly in class, so not remembering trivial things that could be found in his books didn't worry him much.

He once again thanked Remus's book recommendation, they'd helped him a lot this year, his potions being a far cry of the messes he made last year. But, if he was fair with himself, Snape was a really bad teacher.

Throwing his parchment on Snape's desk and glaring at the man, he turned around and began walking towards the door, spotting Hermione was doing some last second check to her test. He hadn't walked for more than a second before he heard the sound of parchment falling on the floor behind him, making him stop instantly as his expression darkened.

"Pick it up, Potter!" The git's smug voice sounded from behind him.

He closed his eyes for a second, trying and failing to contain his anger as his heart started pounding on his chest. Turning around, he saw Snape had a smirk while raising an eyebrow at him.

"Yes," He replied as he reached for his parchment which was currently on the ground.

"Yes, _sir_." He snarled as he snatched the quiz from Harry's outstretched hand.

"There's no need to call me sir, Snivellous." He retorted before his brain had a chance to realize what he just said, though he didn't regret it once he did.

He felt as if the whole class sucked in their breath, waiting for what was about to happen. Snape's face quickly turned purple, glaring at Harry with a look that would not only kill, but crucio-ing before gutting you. He saw the git's mouth open and prepared himself for whatever tirade Snape would give, but he didn't get the chance.

"Here you go, sir." Hermione's unusually cold voice brought both teacher and student out of their glaring match as the girl handed him her quiz.

As soon as Snape rudely snatched her quiz from her outstretched arm, she roughly grabbed Harry by the arm, dragging him out of the Dungeons.

"Must you pick a fight with everyone!" She hissed just after they were out of earshot of the classroom and its occupants.

"Says the girl who punched someone a few hours ago." He said cheekily, his lips twitching into a smile.

Hermione flustered immediately. "Tha-That was different! Besides, I don't go around punching authority figures!"

"Nor do I!" He exclaimed in mock shock at her words and accomplished what he wanted when he spotted the small smile on her beautiful features.

"You're unbelievable, Harry James." She said as she fondly rolled her eyes

"You love it and you know it!" He smirked

"Keep up your sass and you won't get any rewards today, Mister Potter." Hermione retorted cheekily as she raised her eyebrows.

"Oh," He couldn't hide his amusement at that as he stopped walking, making Hermione do the same. "So I can't kiss you without your permission, huh?"

"That's right." She said matter-of-factly, though Harry could almost see a slight upward twinge of her lips.

"Oh, is that so?" He started walking towards her, making her walk backwards until she reached the wall and had nowhere to go.

"Y-yes." Their lips were only inches apart and she tried and failed to keep her voice straight.

He smiled impishly at her as she tried raising her chin in defiance. _I'm not letting you win today, Granger!_ He turned around and to make sure they were alone in the passageway and once he had his confirmation, his green eyes settled on her sparkling with mischief and desire. In a flash he crushed her lips with his, passionately snogging her brains out for a few seconds, loving the taste of her mouth as his heart was fighting to leap off his chest. The warm feeling that engulfed him every time they kissed only made it easier to get lost in snogging her.

As much as he had learnt that he loved letting her guide the kiss, basking in the feel of their tongues battling before he yielded and let her explore him like no one had ever done, he found that he also enjoyed being the one that snogged her senseless every now and then. Seeing her red cheeks and goofy smile after he pulled apart so only made him want to snog her more.

He forced himself to end the kiss even though he didn't want to, mostly because he knew from experience that ending the kiss prematurely would only make their next snogging session much better, but also because he didn't fancy the idea of anyone catching them snogging in the hallway. He smiled satisfactorily at the dazed smile she wore on her flushed face and proceeded to wink at her cheekily before stepping back and walking forwards.

She was by his side almost instantly.

"I'll get you for that, Potter!" She huffed as she intertwined their fingers, though he could see the twinkle in her eyes and the almost suppressed smile on her face.

"I'm sure you will. " He said while smiling fondly at his girlfriend.

They walked in silence for a minute, Hermione leaning slightly against him and he swore he could hear her sigh contently every now and then, before she broke the silence.

"I want to go to the library-" Hermione said softly and was about to continue but Harry managed to interrupt her.

"Don't you always?" He retorted with a small grin.

"Hush!" She said with a halfhearted glare at him before she once again nuzzled her head in the crook of his neck. "I want to read up on the previous tournaments." She said, her tone now serious. "Maybe we can find some sort of pattern and figure out what the first task will be. That way maybe you don't have to enter in blind."

"Ok," Harry whispered softly kissing the crown of her head and gently pulling away from her after he heard the school bell signaling the end of classes, though he kept their hands intertwined.

"Really?" She asked completely flabbergasted, probably expecting resistance to her idea.

"I do believe it wouldn't be smart for me to say no to my girlfriend, now would it?" He whispered to her, spotting some students start filling out the hall they where currently at.

She gave him a cheeky smirk and winked at him. "You're learning."

"I had a good teacher." He shrugged, giving her a smile.

It was less than five seconds later that Harry was roughly brought out of his blissful heaven.

"Oi! Potter!" He heard someone shout out at him.

He immediately stiffened. People had acted hostile towards him for the past few days but this was the first time, apart from Ron, that someone decided to actually confront him. He felt Hermione grip his hand harder as he looked at who had shouted at him.

He saw four, really tall Hufflepuffs (probably sixth or seventh years) make their way towards him and Hermione. His expression immediately darted, he felt as if time slowed and could feel the blood pumping hard on his veins as his heart rate increased. He glared at the group as a crowd starter gathering around the six, getting larger by the second.

"Yes?" He asked coldly.

"You're going to withdraw yourself from the tournament, you cheater!" The leader spat venomously. "Either you do it or we'll make you." He threatened as the four pulled out their wands simultaneously.

He felt Hermione stiffen beside him and he let go of her hand, preparing in case he needed to pull out his wand.

"Ooohh, I'm shaking in my boots." He retorted sarcastically, raising his hands in mock surrender. "I'm sure that the Death Eaters and Voldemort are just a warm-up compared to you four." He scoffed as all their faces turned red in anger, even as hearing the name of the darkest lord to ever exist casually being uttered visibly seemed to make them flinch; as the crowd continued to increase in numbers.

"You think we're scared of you, Potter!? You're nothing more than a self-absorbed brat, even the minister agrees! We're doing you a favour by pulling you out of the tournament! We heard there's already a bet as to how you will die in the tournament because you thought you could join and make mummy and daddy proud!" The one closest to the leader spat.

"Yeah, because Voldemort, werewolves, and basilisks are so easy to handle, it's not like I have any experience in difficult situations or anything right?" He mocked.

"Oh, please. As if we actually believe those tall tales Dumbledore told about you. You! You're just an attention-seeking coward!" Another one spat smugly.

Harry was doing all he could not to explode in anger. He didn't give a shit if they didn't believe him, he just wanted them to leave him and Hermione alone. Was that too much to ask!?

"He didn't put his name in, you complete morons!" Hermione hissed at them, once again surprising Harry with that cold tone but also by that death glare he'd never seen before from her.

The leader turned back towards her. "No one asked your opinion, you buck-toothed know-it-all." Harry felt Hermione stiffen once again as he saw red. The one thing he could never take was someone insulting Hermione, but it seemed the leader wasn't done as he leered over her body before returning his gaze towards Harry. "I can see why you keep her around though, I wouldn't mind hitting on that after you're done with her." He said with a smirk

He barely heard Hermione gasp as he lost it. He immediately saw red, his heart beating out of his chest, causing it to ache, he felt his blood pressure increase as he got the biggest headache of his life. Not only did this… this… this fucking piece of shit insult Hermione, but he _objectified_ her, degraded her as if she were nothing but a piece of meat he would use and then throw in the trash.

He wanted to hurt him. He wanted to hurt them all. Tear them down to shreds, beat them to a pulp, he wanted to gut them slowly and painfully while they screamed in pain. He wanted them to feel all the hurt they just inflicted on Hermione. No one objectified Hermione like that. No one insults Hermione. No one even gets to look at her in a dirty way. For the first time in his life, he wanted to kill someone.

He felt as if the world slowed to a standstill as he acted without thinking. Pulling out his wand faster than he ever had and bellowed to consecutive reductos at the two Hufflepuffs on the edge of the group. He didn't even bother seeing them fall in pain as they clutched their respective hips where each spell hit before he sent another one to the guy besides the leader who also fell in pain.

Now that all the sycophants were done for, he focused on his pray as he sent an expelliarmus powerful enough that it not only disarmed him from his unused wand, but also threw him back, landing near the wall as the crowd nearby immediately shrieked and stepped back from the fallen Hufflepuff.

He estimated that all of this hadn't taken more than five seconds, hence no-one being able to defend himself. Summoning all four wands from the four fallen figures, he grabbed them all in his hands and proceeded to raise his knee to them as he lowered them roughly. All four wands broke on impact and he let the pieces fall to the ground as he began slowly walking towards the leader.

As he leisurely made his way to the leader, he realized how the crowd was all staring at him in fear, paralyzed and deathly quiet making the cries of pain from the others even louder.

When he reached the boy, he was cowering in fear against the wall in a weird almost standing position. Completely ignoring that the boy was not only a head taller than him, but also a lot more muscular and stronger than him. He grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and lifted him up to his full height before placing his wand under his chin.

"Apologize." He said, his tone cold as ice as he stared directly into the eyes of the piece of shit in front of him.

He saw the boy raise his chin in defiance as he shook his head in denial, making Harry shove his wand under that pressure point beneath the chin as he glared at him.

"Don't play games with me!" He hissed a warning before he spat with a venom he had never heard come from his voice before. "You just insulted someone I like, that is not a safe place to stand!"

The boy just glared back in defiance, though Harry could see his hands trembling as he did.

"You won't apologize." He said rather than asked as he raised his eyebrows expectantly.

Only this time he didn't give the boy time to answer as he hit him as hard as he could on the jaw, causing the older boy to drop to the ground. He stepped back a few steps before raising his wand once more.

"Reducto! Reducto!"

He exclaimed, aiming first to the right leg and then to the left leg. The boy shrieked in pain as he flinched away from each hit of the spell, but Harry wasn't done. He ran towards him, kicking him in the head as hard as he could. He heard the crowd scream in terror but didn't care as he started hitting the prone figure on the ground on his stomach. Once, twice, he was about to kick him a third time but he felt a small hand intertwine fingers with his, calming him immediately.

It was only then that he started thinking about the consequences. About what Hermione was probably thinking of him by the way he just acted. He was scared of her reaction, he wouldn't bear it if she left him, not now.

He turned around to see her looking at him softly, calming him immediately. She didn't look angry or terrified or even disgusted, she looked at him with understanding but her eyes also held a small plea for him to stop.

"I'm okay, Harry. It's okay, Harry. I'm okay." She whispered to him as she got as close to him as possible, cupping his face with her other hand and ignoring everyone around them.

Harry only could give her a shaky nod as she smiled kindly at him before slowly and softly pulling him away from the shaking, crying boy. When they reached the crowd, they immediately split allowing easy access for them to move past.

He walked absentmindedly as he was lost in thought. He couldn't believe himself. He couldn't believe what he just did. He attacked four students, and not just with harmless spells but an actual curse. No, he chose to use reducto curses, and the worst part was that he had been happy at seeing the leader, the person who said… _that_ to Hermione, on the ground. Whimpering and crying, suffering for what he said.

He was horrified with himself, disgusted that he would not only do that, but could also enjoy that. How was he better than the Death Eaters, than Voldemort… than the Dursleys. How wasn't he a monster after he did that?

He was brought out his thoughts when Hermione let go of his hand.

_This is it. This is where Hermione comes to her senses and leaves me for being... for being… a monster._

He turned to look up at her and saw her pacing in front of a wall he recognized as the entrance to the room.

"This isn't the library." He said in a confused voice as he watched her.

When she finished pacing in front of the wall and the door appeared she turned to look at him.

"No, it isn't." She said while giving him a kind smile before she stretched her hand out for him to grab it.

He could only gaze at her, trying to find any deception, any hesitance, any apprehension and was surprised when he found none. He tentatively moved towards her, grabbing her hand as soon as it was in reach. His heart fluttered when Hermione intertwined her fingers with his before she gently pulled her with him towards the room.

The room was really small, consisting of just a small love seat in front of a fire, with a table filled with what looked like medical stuff in between them. She pulled him towards the love seat and plopped him down on one side before she gracefully knelt on top of the couch just by his side, looking at him gently.

"Please take off your shirt, Harry." She ordered kindly but with a tone that brokered no arguments and he nodded absentmindedly, his mind still reeling from the events, as he undid his tie and unbuttoned his shirt.

She gently took it off his hands and laid it down on the arm of the loveseat. She analyzed his body carefully and he was suddenly aware of how he looked. His chest and abdomen were covered in purple bruises, he was thankful for that since they made the bright red scar on his chest less prominent. She turned him around to analyze his back and hummed under her breath, Harry knew, it wasn't as inundated with bruises as his front was, probably because the room made the walls of the arena more cushioned than a normal wall.

Hermione began grabbing the ointments from the table and he suddenly turned to look at her, his expression pleading, begging for her to understand.

"I'm sorry. I… I- I don't know what came over me. That… that wasn't me. Please you have to believe me." He begged as he grabbed her hands as soon as they were free of the ointments.

"Harry…" She said softly as she rubbed each hand with her thumbs.

"Please, Hermione. You hav-" She stopped him by putting a finger on his lips, motioning him to let her finish.

He gave a shaky nod and she gave him a small smile, but dazzling nonetheless. She stopped for a moment, nibbling her lower lip as he waited for her to continue. As she did so, she grabbed the magical ointments and began rubbing delicately over his chest. He immediately got lost in her touch as she made her way through his chest with her hands, healing his bruises.

It was something so simple , he knew, but he couldn't help but feel overwhelming warmth spread across his chest. Here was Hermione, delicately healing his bruises after he had just gone ballistic in the Hall. He had never felt like this in his life, he was in heaven, he felt safe, he felt as if someone actually cared for him, he felt Hermione's love and affection for him in such an intimate act and couldn't help the smile that crossed his face as she did so. Goosebumps erupted on his skin and he wasn't sure if it was because of her touch or because he was sitting there shirtless. Her gentle hands were touching him so carefully, so tenderly it was overwhelming.

It was about about a minute later that she let out a breath and he turned to look at her as she looked at him straight in his eyes and he felt as if she was gazing at his very soul. As lost as he was in the bliss of her touch, he couldn't help but pay attention to every word she said as she spoke.

"Ever since our first year, I have been in awe of you. You probably gathered that when I hugged the life out of you and called you a great wizard before you left to face Quirrell." She chuckled and he couldn't help but let out a small smile, Hermione's laugh brightening him up in the way it always did.

"I had never met anyone as passionate and fierce and determined as you. I mean," She laughed out again. "We were eleven! Well I was twelve almost thirteen, but I digress. We were kids, we didn't know what we were doing. We only knew that everyone was in danger and nobody believed us."

"I remember being so scared. Professor Dumbledore was out of the castle, Professor McGonagall had completely ignored us about the stone, and I felt like there was nothing I could do to try and stop Voldemort from stealing the stone. And then you gained this expression, this intense and determined expression and you proclaimed that you were going to stop Voldemort."

"That you were going to go down the trapdoor and face him alone, even though the odds were heavily stacked against you. Even though it was basically impossible. You were determined to do it. And I wanted to stop you, believe me, I wanted to make sure you got nowhere near the trapdoor. You were my best friend and I was terrified about losing you… even then."

"But I could see it in your eyes. No matter what I did, whether I begged you to stay or I snitched on you and told professor McGonagall, you would've found a way to be there, under the trapdoor by midnight. So I decided to go with you, like I promised myself I always would. I had already promised myself to never leave you and I'm so glad I did."

"Besides," She started as she gave a shaky laugh. "I didn't trust you two idiots to make it without me." The bright smile on her face removed the sting from her words. "I mean, this wasn't about Quidditch and after you two missed the trapdoor Fluffy was guarding, I didn't trust your observation skills at all." She rolled her eyes at the memory fondly.

"I mean, yes, Ron did play the game of chess and _kindly_ reminded me I was a witch and you did fly for the keys and were the one that actually faced Quirrell. But I still did save your arse with the Devil's Snare and the Potions room." She chuckled at him.

"So you see, Mr Potter, while I could have been a Ravenclaw, I like to think I ended up in Gryffindor because someone wanted to ensure that you keep saving the world and that means someone has to keep saving _**you**_ and that someone was always _**me**_. Even back then I knew that Harry Potter will always need Hermione Granger by his side, just like Hermione Granger needs Harry Potter by hers." She beamed a smile at him and he swore he could see the tears forming in her eyes.

Hermione stopped rubbing his middle and looked at her lap, taking a deep breath, and he could feel her determined composure falter for a moment before she got it back and looked back at him determinately as she continued applying the ointment.

"You are so passionate. You love with a passion, you care about your friends and family with a fierceness I have never seen before in my life and I'm always in awe when I see that side of you. When I see just how much you would do for the people you care about.

"But you also hate with a passion, Harry. I saw it with Voldemort before you went down the trapdoor, I saw it with Sirius when we were at the Shrieking Shack, and I saw it once again today."

She stopped rubbing the ointment on his chest, making him immediately miss the warmth that feeling her hands on his chest had caused him, and grabbed his hands, gripping them with all the strength she had.

"I want you to listen to me, and I want you to listen to me very carefully Harry James! I. Do not. Hate you. I could never hate you. I could never be repulsed by you. Or terrified of you. Today, you were cornered by four older students, you were taunted, insulted, called a liar, a cheater, a coward. And I saw how much you tried to make it so that it didn't affect you."

"And then that… that… that _student_ ogled me and said all those horrible things and you snapped. Of course you snapped! If I had been in your position and somebody insulted you like that I also would have snapped. And you, with how passionate you are and with everything that has been going on recently of course you snapped!"

"So no. I don't hate you, I don't find you repulsive or think of you as some kind of monster, so don't you dare push me away, Potter. Those four started it, cornered you, threatened you, and pushed and pushed and pushed and they got what they deserved." She said resolutely.

"I'm not saying it's okay to beat anyone like you just did, of course not! But you're also right. This is not a game, the Quidditch World Cup proved that. So when someone threatens you like they did, it's only natural for you to defend yourself like that! Hell, they pulled their wands out, first! Four sixth or seventh years wanted to attack two fourth years!"

"Don't let them get into your head. You are not a liar, a cheater, a coward, an attention seeking brat, nor are you a monster. You're Harry, my best friend and the best boyfriend I could ask for so please don't let them ruin the amazing person that you are."

He was about to interrupt her but she once again put a finger on his lips.

"Yes, Harry. You are an extraordinary person. I know how much you hate it when someone calls you that, but it's true. Not because you're the boy-who-lived, not because you fought Voldemort, not because you saved Ginny from the Chamber. Not even because of how passionate and determined you are. You're extraordinary because you're _my_ Harry."

He saw her blushing profusely at that but it didn't stop her.

"You're amazing because you're always extremely kind, you always try to look for the best in people, you always want to help others and rarely think of yourself before you think of everyone else. You're extraordinary, because after everything you've been through and after all you've suffered, you're still so gentle and kind and you care deeply about your friends. Because after all you've suffered, you're still that same boy that didn't hesitate to save a girl he didn't know from a twelve foot troll in a girl's bathroom."

Harry was failing miserably at keeping his tears at bay. He turned to look at Hermione and saw that she had a tear running down her cheek, but she wasn't trying to hide it, instead proudly showing it as she smiled brightly at Harry.

That's when Harry lost it, ignoring he was half-naked and his torso was covered in ointment, he reached out a hand and pulled Hermione closer capturing her lips in a deep, passionate kiss, a kiss that tried to convey all the raw emotions of gratitude and appreciation he felt for her. It was a soft and slow kiss, he was sure he had never felt more overwhelmed and connected to anyone and perhaps won't ever in his life. He got lost in it, basked in the utter bliss and contentment that Hermione was kissing him back, the fingers of her free hand were running through his hair and gently her fingers curled around the nape of his neck as he shuddered pleasantly at the contact.

After they couldn't breathe anymore, they parted, leaning their foreheads against each other as Harry gripped her nape gently, his fingers tangling in her soft curls as he caught his breath lost in her, unable to pull away from her, unwilling to severe this connection with her as he held onto her, even as he felt captivated by the chocolate eyes he adored, that looked at him like he was the only thing in the world and sent a pleasant shiver down his spine.

He didn't know how much time they spent like that, just staring deeply at each other with bright smiles on their faces before Harry finally pulled back.

"You don't hate me." He stated rather than asked, his voice a little gravelly and rough.

Hermione just laughed at him, rolling her eyes as she was drying some tears she had on her cheeks with her hand.

"Honestly! How many speeches do I need to give so that you can understand that I'm not leaving you, Potter!" She said mock exasperatedly even as she lovingly pulled his cheek.

He once again pulled her into another kiss, it was soft, gentle, sweet, but it was also shorter than the other one.

"Thank you," He whispered to her gruffly, his emotions choking him, as their foreheads were once again leaning against each other.

"Always, Harry." She whispered back, her left palm, free of any ointment lovingly cupped his cheek as she ran a thumb across it gently.

When they pulled back she grinned at him, raising her eyebrows in amusement. "Remember when I was the one who used to start the hugs and kisses?"

"What can I say, you've been slacking off recently, I guess." He shrugged, giving her a small smile.

"I'm going to need to fix that." She chuckled.

"I'd like that." He whispered and his insides did backflips at how she brightened and blushed at that.

He gave her a smile he hoped portrayed how much he appreciated her, how much she meant to him, dropping a small kiss on the tip of her nose, before grabbing her hands and once again spotting the bruise that made him want to track and hex down the idiot that forced her to bruise her hands by punching them. He turned to the couch and grabbed the healing ointment with one hand without letting Hermione's hand go.

"What are you doing, Harry?" She said, slightly amused.

"We need to fix this up. It just won't do." He said softly as he started applying the ointment.

Hermione laughed at that, a beautiful laugh he loved and made his heart dance every time she laughed like that. "Haaaarry!" She squealed as he didn't let go of her hand. "Your whole upper body was purple and you're focused on a little bruise on my hand?" She asked, clearly amused at his antics.

"You're more important." He said his eyes focused on her intensely, a light smile still plastered on his face.

He saw Hermione's face lose the amusement and turn soft. "You're as important as I am, Harry." She said sincerely as she looked fondly at him.

He rolled his eyes at her affectionately which made her use the mock huff she seemed to only direct at him. "Fine! But after you're done with me I get to fix up your knuckles as well!"

"As you wish, my lady." He said while grinning at her.

It was now her turn to roll her eyes at him fondly as she shook her head, muttering something about boys being idiots but Harry pretended not to hear her mock tirade. He was gently and happily fixing up Hermione's bruises, having never felt happier to have this beautiful, amazing girl by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well, this was a pretty long chapter, I'd say. I hope you liked it, there were a lot of big things I did, especially by the end, which I hope you loved. Honestly, this chapter had me doubting and second guessing myself a lot, I just wish it turned out as good as I hope it did. Once again, thank you all for continuing reading, favouriting, and reviewing. You guys are the best!


	17. Is This More Than You Bargained For Yet?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta-Read By Aani

"Ah, Harry." Ludo Bagman said as he pulled him into a one armed hug as soon as he entered the room.

He spotted the three champions standing in front of a table where sat the three headmasters, Barty Crouch, and Ollivander. In the corner of the room he saw a couple of reporters and cameramen waiting impatiently.

"Come on, Harry. You're late." Bagman said as he pushed Harry towards the other champions before taking the empty spot on the table.

He began to tune out what everyone was saying, hating the fact that he had to be here instead of with Hermione at potions. He turned to look at the reporters and saw them eyeing him like vulture's eyeing a dying animal. The first task hadn't even happened and he was already hating this tournament more than anything.

"Mr Potter…" Ollivander's voice broke him out of his reverie. "Your wand if you would." He realized that it was slightly more curt than when he addressed him three years ago.

Harry realized that the other champions had already handed over Ollivander their wands and he wordlessly reached for his, grabbed it, and extended his arm to the old man, motioning him to grab it. The wandmaker gave Harry an odd look before he took his wand and began analyzing all four wands. Seeing the old man holding the four wands with both hands, Harry couldn't help but recall last week's events after he had snapped those four wands and beat the crap out of those Hufflepuffs.

* * *

After their rather long session in the room, which consisted of an hour of cuddling when they finished healing each other's bruises, they decided to go to the library and research the previous tournaments. It took them a long while to find the relevant material and when they did, they found out that there were only a couple of books that gave detailed descriptions of the tournaments and their tasks.

They read through every task of every Triwizard Tournament in history and unfortunately they couldn't find any pattern. The tasks always seemed to change and when they were repeated it was completely at random and sometimes tweaked as well. Using the previous tasks as a guide to prepare was gonna be a waste of time… it was impossible.

There had been 124 Triwizard Tournaments in total, with Hogwarts winning 62 times, Beauxbatons another 62, and incredibly surprisingly… Durmstrang had never won a single time. Throughout these 124 tournaments, which included 372 tasks, there were a total of 290 original tasks, with only 82 of them being repeated throughout the years. Trying to learn and prepare for every one of these was as close to impossible as it could be, especially with only three weeks left.

Research also didn't seem to help Hermione, who became more concerned with each new task she read. They were all incredibly deadly: Catching a cockatrice, free for all dueling on brooms, kill a Chimera, there was even a scavenger hunt inside the Forbidden Forest where they had to collect three different items while facing a ton of XXXX and XXXXX creatures and solve incredibly complex riddles that resulted in deadly traps if not solved correctly. He had tried reassuring Hermione that he would be fine, but he could see her slowly becoming more and more scared to the point where she was shaking and occasionally casting worried glances at him, as if it was the last time she would be able to look at him.

In the end, after Hermione managed to calm down after a lot of reassurances from Harry, they decided that they would continue their training as usual. There was nothing they could do right now, but given the fact that the task was taking place at Hogwarts they concluded that maybe they could find something out in the days leading up to the task.

So they continued training, Hermione had officially joined him and, while initially miffed about the fact that he didn't bother learning the theory about why the spells worked the way they did, she managed to continue learning in her own way and leaving him with what she called; his lazy learning path. They spent almost all the time they could inside the room, often snogging and cuddling during their breaks from homework and practice.

He couldn't help but love it when they cuddled. It was something that never failed to have his insides flutter as his lips twitched into a goofy smile. Sometimes, she snuggled to his chest while he held her, loving the feel of her in his arms as he rested his head on top of hers and often liked giving her kisses on the crown of her head. Other times he shamelessly snuggled into her while she held him, loving the feeling of being in her arms, his head sometimes on her chest and sometimes in the crook of her neck, as she snuggled her head on top of his.

As much as he loved snogging Hermione, he couldn't help but love their cuddling sessions just as much. Not that he would ever admit that to anyone, but he loved just being in her presence, when they were in each other's arms, not saying anything and instead letting their bodies express how they feel.

Unfortunately, they couldn't spend all the time they wanted in the room. They still had to go to classes, they still went to the Great Hall for their meals, and they still had to sleep in the Gryffindor Tower.

Fortunately, it seemed that after the events following their potions exam, people started understanding one simple thing - don't mess with Harry Potter or Hermione Granger. All the glaring, the taunts, the name-calling, and the confrontations quickly stopped after that. Now, everyone seemed to be terrified of him, not even looking at him or being close to him fearing his wrath, worried that he'd snap again.

He'd be lying if he said he didn't prefer things this way.

What really surprised Harry was that no one had told the professors anything. In fact, Hermione had told him that all four Hufflepuffs claimed to have fallen off the stairs and everybody else the teachers asked confirmed their story. He didn't know if nobody had said anything because they were too afraid to do so or because, even after everything he did, they still didn't want to break the unofficial no snitching policy he'd noticed everybody followed ever since he entered Hogwarts.

So since nobody had snitched and no teachers had been there to see what happened, he managed to get away without any consequences… well, almost.

* * *

"Harry, please take a seat." The Headmaster had never sounded this old.

Harry closed the door behind him and gingerly walked to the chair in front of Dumbledore's desk. Once he took the offered seat he said nothing as he stared at the old man. He knew why he was here. Dumbledore knew that he knew why he was here. He knew that Dumbledore knew that he knew why he was here. So he just decided to stay quiet, let him lead the discussion and admit to nothing. After all, Hermione was right… they got what they deserved.

It was about a minute later that Dumbledore finally spoke in a calm voice that didn't give his game away.

"How have you been, Harry?"

He just shrugged his shoulders in response as the Headmaster stared at him and Harry couldn't help but feel as if the old man was looking into his very soul.

"Did you hear about what happened to Messers Williams, Johnson, Lewis, and Taylor?" He asked knowingly.

"Who?" Harry asked, filling his voice with as much befuddlement as he could. He didn't know the names but couldn't help but notice that there were four of them, just like the Hufflepuff boys he had beaten up and his suspicions were confirmed.

"They're four Hufflepuff students that arrived yesterday afternoon to the infirmary, claiming they fell from the stairs."

Harry ensured to keep his face neutral as he spoke,

"No, didn't hear of that, sir. Are they ok?" He asked as sincerely as possible when referring to scum like them.

"Yes, they are doing well. Madam Pomfrey fixed their broken bones pretty quickly and they left the infirmary before dinner last night. But one can't help but listen to rumours." Harry scrunched his eyebrows in fake confusion, causing the Headmaster to continue. "From what I've heard, they were attacked."

Harry chose to stay silent while the both of them stared into each other's eyes, neither flinching away. Dumbledore once again broke the silence after an uncomfortable minute.

"You can't go attacking people just because they get on your nerves, Harry." He said in a soft, patronizing tone.

Harry wanted to get up and shout at the man. For the past few days, he'd been ostracized, insulted, glared at, and attacked. And now, he was the one that was in his office being talked down to. Sure, Dumbledore did his part in the Great Hall twice to stop any blatantly open harassment, but did the old man really expect him to lay down and receive all the school's hate like a good boy!? Did he really think he wasn't going to defend himself when four older students ganged up on him!? Especially when they insulted Hermione!?

But he chose not to do so taking a calming breath.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, sir." He said as respectfully as he could.

Dumbledore once again looked at him pensively and continued after a small while, completely ignoring the refute.

"You'll be happy to know that since Ollivander will be here next week for the weighing of wands, those students will be able to get a new wand pretty soon. I would like for you to pay for the wands of these students."

Harry was incensed! He couldn't believe Dumbledore wanted him to pay for the wands of those morons!

"Why should I pay for the wands of students I don't even know? Shouldn't they pay for them since it was their fault they broke?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at that and he continued. "I assume they broke them when they fell, right? Why should I pay for them?"

"Harry, we both know what you did. The least you should do is apologize and pay fo-"

"I did nothing, _sir_." He spat with distaste as he rose from his chair. "And unless you actually have some evidence that proves I broke those wands, I won't pay for them."

It was not about the money, he knew any Ollivander wand cost 7 galleons and four would only cost him 28 galleons - an amount he could easily afford to spend. No, it was about principle, _his_ principles dammit! He wasn't about to offer any kind of apology for he didn't regret his actions, not even through deed if not word, especially when he knew he had done no wrong. Those boys were bullying him and that git who leered at Hermione had just sealed their fates.

He could have overlooked everything else but the way Hermione was treated was unforgivable. How dare Dumbledore expect _him_ to apologize if he doesn't know the whole story? Harry realized that thought incensed him more. Dumbledore just thought the worst of him and assumed he was wrong … or he knew the whole story and still expected him to apologize!

Harry honestly couldn't tell which possibility irked him more but stayed quiet even as he glared at the headmaster defiantly.

Dumbledore sighed and looked at him with a somber expression.

"If that will be all, _sir_ , I really should get back to worrying about the tournament." He didn't wait for a reply and headed for the door.

Just as he opened the door and was about to leave, Dumbledore's voice stopped him.

"Harry, you'll be expected to attend the weighing of wands for your own safety and for publicity purposes. This is obligatory, please don't make this harder than it needs to be and turn up when you're called."

Harry just sighed and nodded before leaving the room.

* * *

Ignoring that small hiccup, the week had been pretty good. Well… as good as it can be when you have a deadly tournament looming over your head. He had been left alone for all of his classes, only having the Quidditch team and Hermione as company, no more people openly harassing him, and a gorgeous girlfriend that seemed to love spending every second with him just as much as he did.

At least that was until half an hour ago…

* * *

"But how can you learn a spell when you don't know the theory behind it, Harry!" Hermione tried convincing him for the umpteenth time this week.

Both placed their bookbags on the foot of their respective chairs and took their seats in the empty Potions Dungeon. Parvati and Lavender sat in front of them and Harry thought he could see Lavender and Parvati rolling their eyes at Hermione in amusement.

"I'm just that good." He said with a shrug and a sly smile. "Ow!" He exclaimed after Hermione smacked him playfully on the arm for his antics. "Honestly, you hit me too much!" He said mock hurt while rubbing his arm.

"Oh, shush. After the werewolves, dementors, and basilisks, I'm sure you can handle little old me." She retorted with a smirk. "Besides, don't try to change the topic, Potter! You would do so much better if you applied yourself!"

"I seem to be doing perfectly fine, thank you very much." He replied with an amused expression remembering their most recent training session, and Hermione clearly did too.

"That doesn't count!"

"Why not?" He asked innocently

"You cheated!"

"I did no such thing!" He said mock affronted while he clutched his chest with his hand for dramatic effect, making Lavender and Parvati giggle while doing so.

"You used a shield charm! We were only supposed to use stunning spells!"

"I never said that. I only said that the one that gets stunned loses. I, in good conscience, couldn't stun my girlfriend. So I put up a shield and she stunned herself." He finished with a self-satisfied smile.

Hermione grunted in annoyance, causing Harry, Lavender, and Parvati to laugh, which only made her glower at him. It took them a few seconds to calm down and Hermione was about to continue but Lavender beat her to it.

"You two are so cute!" She said with a dreamy smile.

"You shut up!" She exclaimed at Lavender before turning back to Harry, but was once again interrupted by the blonde.

"Ow!" She said putting up the same mock hurt façade he used earlier before turning to him. "Is she always this aggressive?"

"I am not aggressive!" Hermione exclaimed at Lavender.

"Yup, she always has been," Harry turned to look at Hermione with mock fear before leaning forwards and motioning Lavender to do the same. "I got more bruises from her than Voldemort." He whispered and both Lavender and Parvati laughed at that.

"Harry James Potter! I-" She started exclaiming while turning to look at him but he interrupted her.

"Have I ever told you how cute you look when you're angry?" He said with a grin.

Harry could see that Hermione tried very hard not to flush… but she failed, which only made his grin widen.

"I… You… Ahhh! You're so annoying, Potter!" She huffed while crossing her arms over her chest and pouting, making Harry want to snog her senseless right there and then.

"And you still keep me around, Granger." He replied dryly.

"Not if you keep up with that sass, I won't." She raised an eyebrow at him and he couldn't help but love when this side of her came out to play.

They were interrupted when the door to the class opened and the Slytherins and other Gryffindors entered. Harry chose to ignore them, instead picking up his school bag and rummaging through a bunch of loose parchment for an unused one and a spare quill and ink bottle.

"You should really organize your bag, Harry." She said matter-of-factly while pulling out a folder titled 'Potions' and grabbing a spare bit of parchment from the bottom of the pile, before pulling out a small box that had three quills and three ink bottles in their perfect place. "I honestly don't know how you manage yourself with that mess." She said as she gently laid her quill beside the parchment.

"It's a talent." He shrugged, causing Hermione to roll her eyes and shake her head as she muttered something that sounded a lot like "Boys!"

Before he could tease her about why she even bothered to organize her workspace so neatly when they rarely took notes, he heard a pompous voice call out.

"Oi Potter!"

Harry didn't need to look up to see how Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Parkinson made their way to their table. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the other Gryffindors and even the other Slytherins looking wearily at Harry, as if expecting him to explode and hoping to gain cover before he did.

"What do you think of them?" Malfoy drawled when he was in front of him as he motioned to something on his chest.

Harry still refused to look at the blonde git and whatever he was pointing at, instead opting to perfect the Crookshanks drawing he'd been practicing for the past week. Now it kinda looked like a cat instead of just a ball, he figured out the trick was shading and adding hair to the cat.

"Potter!"

 _Hmmmm, what if I make his tail wiggle instead of just keeping it static._ He pondered as he started drawing the cat's tail.

"Potter!"

 _He looks ugly._ Harry mused as he drew Crookshanks' face. _Well, let's be fair… Crookshanks has always been ugly._ He nodded absentmindedly at that assessment and internally agreed with himself never to tell Hermione that. She loved that cat way too much.

"POTTER!" Malfoy hollered and Harry continued to ignore him, wondering if he should give drawing-Crookshanks his own drawing-Hermione to keep the furball happy.

"Shove off, Malfoy!" Parvati snapped and he could almost see her rolling her eyes.

"No one asked your opinion, Patil!" Parkinson snapped back.

"Harry..." Lavender started nonchalantly and he turned up from his drawing to look at her. "Would you please just pay this git some attention so that he can leave us be?" She said with a bored expression.

Harry turned to look at Malfoy and leered over him for a second before he rolled his eyes. "Sorry ferret, you're not my type. I'm into brilliant brunettes, myself." He turned back to his drawing before the blonde could reply.

Lavender and Parvati giggled madly and from the corner of his eye he saw Hermione duck and try to hide her blush.

"How dare you talk to your betters like that, Potter!" Draco snarled as he pulled out his wand and aimed it at Harry's head, not that he paid any attention to it as he just continued his drawing while his expression darkened.

Harry actually heard someone gasp, not that he paid mind to who it was. The dungeons went completely silent and it seemed like no one was willing to move a muscle.

"D-drop it, Malfoy!" Neville's voice echoes throughout the dungeons and Harry could see the boy was standing and pointing his wand at the Slytherin, though he was shaking slightly.

Immediately, the other three members of Slytherin pulled out their wands and aimed them at Neville while Malfoy kept his trained on Harry. As soon as that happened, Hermione, Lavender, and Parvati pulled out their wands and trained them on the group.

"Pathetic, Potter. Relying on three girls and a squib like Longbottom to defend you."

Harry turned up from his drawing to look at Malfoy's smug expression plastered all over his face.

"With how hard Hermione slapped you last year, I'm pretty confident she can handle herself against you and personally I'd never underestimate a witch let alone three. I actually consider myself lucky to find myself in the company of some truly exceptional witches; be it Hermione, Lavender or Parvati here or my mum, who defeated that wanker at whose feet your father prostrated. And as for Neville, he's worth more than a hundred of you and your clowns over there put together, I'd rather have one of him in my corner than a thousand of you and your minions. " He said simply.

The air was sucked out of the room and while he saw the Slytherins glaring at him, he also couldn't help but notice how the girls were scowling at Pansy who was the only Slytherin witch looking at Draco with admiration. _Interesting..._ He thought to himself as he realized that Draco had put his misogynist foot in the mouth publicly and was unaware of it.

However, before Malfoy could say or do anything, the door crashed against the wall as Snape entered the classroom and stopped at the scene in front of him.

"Malfoy! Crabbe! Goyle! Parkinson! To your seats, now!" The four left after Malfoy snarled at Harry and Snape turned to the other Gryffindors. "Granger! Longbottom! Patil! Brown! 10 points from Gryffindor each! Take your seats!"

* * *

After a full week of no one actively harassing him, Malfoy's little stunt today really soured his mood, especially when today was the day he had the stupid wand weighing ceremony. He couldn't wait to get out of this stupid thing and just be with Hermione in the room.

_Maybe I should just skip the whole press thing, drag her to the room, and snog her brains out._

Harry was brought out of his oh-so pleasant thoughts when an old voice addressed him.

"Your wand, Mr Potter." He slightly shook his head and saw Ollivander extending his arm to hand him his wand. As soon as he took it, Ollivander shot him an unreadable look before he turned to the other champions and handed them their wands.

Harry holstered his wand in his robes and was about to take his leave, not really wanting to give the reporters a shot at him, but before he could a loud voice rang out.

"Pictures! We need some pictures of the champions!" Bagman exclaimed merrily as he stood up from the table and made his way towards the champions. Harry saw Crouch shooting Bagman a dirty look, while the Headmaster's face was blank.

Before he could do anything to back out from what he was sure was going to be a horrible experience, Ludo put his arm around his neck and dragged him along with the other champions to what looked like a small photo set in the corner of the room. Before they reached the set, they were intercepted by a witch in bright magenta robes.

"Ah, Ludo," She began with a predatory smile. "I was wondering if we could have the individual shots first while I carry out some interviews." She eyed Harry like a lioness would eye her prey. "Why don't we start with you, Harry. Come on," She grabbed his arm with a surprisingly strong grip and started dragging him across the room towards the door while everyone else just watched.

Harry, wanting to take control before the situation went off the rails, stopped in place and yanked his arm away from her powerful grip.

"Excuse me, who are you?" He asked, glaring at the witch while soothing his arm.

"Ah, yes. I'm Rita Skeeter." She said pompously and made to grab his arm again but he moved out of her reach.

He immediately recognized that name, having seen it when he read that article after his name came out of the Goblet.

"I'd say it's a pleasure, but I'd be lying if I did." He said coldly leaving the whole room gaping at him as if he were insane.

Ignoring them completely, he passed Skeeter as he made his way to the door where Dumbledore and the other Headmasters were standing. As soon as he reached the door he looked at Dumbledore.

"I'm not doing this, I'm not gonna be a monkey who dances to entertain an audience in a circus. I already did the stupid wand thing. I'm done. I won't let them prop me up for pictures they'll use for the articles that lie about me."

Dumbledore had a somber expression but nodded nonetheless as Karkaroff sneered at him while Maxime seemed to be openly amused by him. As soon as Dumbledore nodded, he opened the door but before he could step out, he heard Bagman exclaim from behind him.

"Harry!" He turned around and saw the man basically sprinting to him. He reached him and swung his arm around his neck once again. "Harry, these pictures are needed. All champions must be photographed and interviewed for these news outlets. They came all the way here for this, you aren't going to throw away that sacrifice now, are you?" He said with what Harry was sure Bagman considered to be a winning smile.

Before the man could push him towards Harry removed himself from his grip. "Yes, I will." He said coldly and proceeded to leave the room.

As much as he wished to go be with Hermione right now, he knew she was still in potions and the last place he wanted to be at was under Snape's gaze, so he decided to go to the room and maybe vent his frustrations with those dummies.

* * *

"I'm sure he's fine, Hermione." Lavender repeated for like the fifth time in the past two minutes.

The three girls were at the Great Hall during dinner. The Quidditch team and Neville were seated nearby but they were slightly apart from them and out of earshot.

"They're already back." Hermione said while gazing at Cedric, Krum, and the Beauxbatons champion as they entered the Great Hall. "Why isn't he back? I should go look for him."

She tried to stand up but was immediately pulled down by Parvati. "Hermione, he's fine. I'm sure he just went to the bathroom or something." Parvati tried reassuring and didn't flinch away when she glared at her.

Harry had been missing ever since he left potions and went to the weighing of wands. Granted, that was only two hours ago and she'd been at potions most of the time but she was still worried. Harry had told her about it last week and how he was going to have to do some ' _publicity things'_ for the tournament. With how the media had taken to crucifying Harry ever since his name came out, that was the last place she wanted him to be at.

She had tried planning with him to answer possible questions that might be asked in interviews and photos and stuff, but the idiot just kept saying he'd cross that bridge when he got there and shushed her as they snuggled as he captured her mouth in a series of kisses that just got more and more heated between them with Hermione once again encountering the burgeoning evidence of his desire and then there had been no time for words as they had walked back to the tower just before curfew with red faces, smiling lips and shy glances stolen as their hands brushed against each other while Harry walked at a slower pace than usual.

Ok, she loved snuggling with and snogging the prat and wouldn't change it for anything, but would it have killed him to at least plan this stuff out before?

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Hermione. Look!" Lavender exhaled while motioning to the entrance of the Great Hall.

Hermione turned around and saw him entering. He looked as if he had just been trampled by Buckbeak. Instead of wearing his full school robes like the last time she saw him, he was just wearing a ruffled white shirt with his Gryffindor tie hanging loose, and his pants held tightly by his black belt. His hair was as messy as ever, chaotically covering his fringe and Hermione just noticed it was the longest he'd kept it. Even from where she was seated, she could tell he was extremely sweaty, as if he had just run a marathon as his shirt stuck to him in a number of places.

"So hot." Hermione heard Lavender's dreamy voice as the girl fanned herself with her hand, from beside her and she immediately turned and gave the girl a glare that screamed 'Stop gawking at my boyfriend!'

Lavender immediately put up her hands in surrender.

"Hey, he's yours and everything, I know and love you two. I'm just saying he's _so_ hot, and you can't deny that. He was already the most eligible bachelor for being the boy who lived, then he did all those heroic things this past few years and after what the way he destroyed those arseholes last week for you, I'm pretty sure he just became the most eligible bachelor in Britain, even if he only has eyes for you." She winked before she leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially. "You can actually see every girl gawking at him like a piece of meat."

Hermione immediately turned and looked around the room and true enough, she saw pretty much every girl from their year and some from other years eyeing Harry in a way that made Hermione's heart raise as her stomach turned. Hannah, Susan, Padma, Ginny, Daphne, Padma, Tracey, hell there were even older girls she didn't know among those numbers. Hermione nearly gasped when she saw that even the younger ones were eyeing him. There were even one or two girls from the visiting schools amongst the lot. _The nerve of those girls!_ They were all shamelessly ogling at him. People who were openly scorning him last week were now looking at him like he was a fresh piece of steak.

"Hey," He said with a small smile to the three girls in the shy way that made Hermione's heart flutter as he took the seat across from her.

Immediately, she remembered that she was concerned about the idiot in front of her. "Where have you been!?" Unfortunately, he was across her and she couldn't smack his arm in the way she wanted to.

"Oh, I was training in the room. I kinda lost track of time and only realized I was late a few minutes ago." He said with a shy smile.

"What do you mean you were in the room? The other champions just arrived like a minute ago!" She asked in the bossy manner she couldn't help but adapt when she was worried.

"And yet you act like I was incredibly late." He replied with a cheeky smile. "I could've been in the bathroom for all you know."

"Boom!" Lavender exclaimed as she raised her hand and Harry blinked at her raised hand for a second while Lavender smiled at him and then it clicked what she was doing, immediately he high fived her from across the table laughing as he did so.

Hermione turned to scowl at Lavender but the girl kept her smug look, making Hermione huff at her and turn back to her boyfriend, raising an expectant eyebrow.

"Well… err… before the press stuff I kinda just… _left_."

"You just left." She stated rather than asked, unable to keep the amused expression of her face.

"Yes...?" He answered like he used to answer in class when he didn't know the answer.

Hermione didn't know why she started chuckling, maybe from the relief that Harry didn't get hounded by the press or maybe because he could just be adorable sometimes.

"You're an idiot, Harry Potter." She said amusedly while shaking her head.

"You know, you keep insulting me and it's really not nice." He said while trying, and failing, to hide his smile.

"Oh, hush you." She said with mock exasperation before she finally allowed herself to grab some food.

The rest of dinner went by pretty quickly, with mainly Hermione explaining to Harry everything they learned about antidotes during their potions class and occasionally Lavender or Parvati chiming in with some anecdotes about Hermione looking forlorn and anxious with Harry not around or how she kept looking between her watch and the door that never failed to make her glower at them even as Harry enjoyed the tidbits more than he seemed invested in the lecture he had missed.

They were just about to leave when the usual onslaught of owls entered the Great Hall. Ever since Harry's name came out of the Goblet, there had been a few front page articles about Harry and the tournament that had made Hermione immediately stiffen every time owls showed up at the Great Hall. However, knowing that the Daily Prophet had already been delivered earlier today she allowed herself to relax.

As she stared at the parliament of owls, she couldn't help but spot Errol. He flew towards the Gryffindor table, passed Ron who Hermione saw let out a sigh of relief, passed Ginny who immediately relaxed as well. Leaving only two Weasleys, Hermione saw Fred and George tense up but the owl miraculously paid them no mind as he flew past them, leaving the twins flummoxed momentarily only for the relief to sink into them simultaneously, as was usually the case with those two and their too in-sync brains making them grin at each other and raise their hands to high five.

Hermione followed Errol's path and was extremely surprised when the owl landed right in front of Harry. Her boyfriend had the cutest confused expression she'd ever seen from him before he gingerly reached for the letter on its legs.

Hermione looked around and saw all Weasleys staring at Harry. Fred and George had completely befuddled expressions, Ron was glowering at Harry (as was the norm since their fallout), and Ginny… she had a pensive expression on her face.

She turned back to Harry and saw that he had a hesitant expression on his face, weary of whatever the letter contained. Knowing why he was weary of a letter after all the abuse he had received over the past couple of weeks and that the Great Hall probably wasn't the best place for opening the letter she stood up and grabbed her book bag.

"Come on," She told him with a kind smile and he immediately understood what she meant, reciprocating the smile.

He stood up and she saw him immediately gain a weird expression. He started looking around the Hall to the entrance and to the Head table. She saw he shook his head to himself before he made to crouch but immediately regretted the idea and gained a thoughtful expression.

"Harry?" She asked as he continued with his musings.

Harry immediately did the thing she hated. It was a single expression, most people would miss it but every time she had seen it, he had done something stupid like trying to get past the Whomping Willow or when he wanted to go after Sirius. It was his ' _screw it'_ expression.

It happened faster than she could think, as Harry basically vaulted over the table and landed on the place she had been sitting at. He quickly stood, gave her a grin, and grabbed her hand and intertwined fingers with her. Whatever questioning she was going to subject him too was lost when he did so as her heart started fluttering. She could only blush and shake her head at his antics as they walked through the Great Hall, internally basking in the warmth his hand provided.

However before they could leave, they were stopped when a voice hollered throughout the Hall.

"Potter!"

Hermione heard Harry sigh and could see how he rolled his eyes before he turned around to face Professor Snape without removing his hand from hers. The professor had left the high table where the staff sat for all meals and was now standing in between them and the Head table.

"Yes?" He drawled and yawned as the professor sneered at him.

"20 points from Gryffindor for your little stunt." He said smugly.

Before Harry could even open his mouth, Hermione beat him to it.

"What rule did he break, professor?" She asked innocently, fully aware of the answer.

"What?" He questioned her with a sneer.

"What. Rule. Did he. Break?" She intoned carefully as if asking a one year old a question. Snape sneered at her and was about to speak but she once again beat him to it. "Because I've read the rule book plenty of times, there is no rule that explicitly states a student can't vault over a table to reach the other side." She said as she raised her eyebrows.

It didn't even strike her that in defending Harry and questioning Snape she had ensured every eye in the hall was on them even as all noise had ceased.

"That's impossible, foolish girl! Keep your mouth where it belongs!" He snapped at her and Hermione felt Harry tense at her side, causing her to send him a reassuring squeeze to tell him not to do anything.

"It's sad a professor doesn't even know the rules of their own school." She said with mock sadness as she stared defiantly at him.

Before anyone could say anything, Dumbledore's calm voice echoed through the Hall.

"Miss Granger is right, Severus. 20 points for knowing the rules." He said as he smiled kindly to her. "Of course, those 20 points won't be deducted as well since Miss Granger so accurately pointed out that Mr Potter broke no rules."

"You can't be serious, Albus! He showed a complete disregard for the rules!" Snape turned and snapped at the Headmaster.

"What rules? Hermione just proved there are no rules that forbid someone from doing what I just did." Harry said proudly which made her heart flutter.

Before anyone else could speak, a mischievous shout echoed throughout the Great Hall.

"Damn right, Hermione!" Fred said.

"Which means we can do this." George continued as he vaulted to the spot across from him, besides Angelina, and followed it up by hugging the surprised girl to him.

"As much as we want." Fred finished as he vaulted to the spot beside Alicia and also hauled the laughing girl up in a bear hug

"Yeah!" Lee hollered as he also vaulted and took the spot beside Katie, who shook her head and rolled her eyes at him, smiling at her boyfriend.

It was then that something even more bizarre, at least to her mind happened. She saw a few boys from amongst the contingent from Beauxbatons emulate the Gryffindors at the Ravenclaw table as the couples from the school then kissed soundly as if throwing a gauntlet to their counterparts as they laughed as one of them, a red headed boy, boldly proclaimed in a thick accented voice before he planted a searing kiss on a gorgeous blonde's lips, "top this you, _les rosbifs"_. Soon a number of the French students gave a very thorough display of the infamous French kiss.

She noticed that amongst those kissing were also two very pretty girls - a raven haired beauty and a stunning brunette as well as two boys one a redhead, with hair eerily similar to Ron's and the other a platinum blonde whose locks matched Malfoy's and shook her head as she mentally pictured Ron and Draco in their places and shuddered a little at the thought. She had nothing against boys kissing each other and more or even girls for that matter, but the mental image of Ron and Draco she could have done without. Sometimes she hated her own mind!

In the blink of an eye, a number of boys were from Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were vaulting over the tables just because they could, and because they had felt challenged by their French guests; all except for those sat at the table of the Snakes and she noticed how Harry chuckled as she followed his line of sight and she could see the witches there eyeing the girls sat at the other tables with jealousy and longing and giving a stink-eye to the boys at their table they were interested in who pretended to not notice anything.

What was amusing was how the colour of the uniform of those sitting there didn't matter as those wearing red and black alike were sporting the same expressions. Envious and hopeful girls sat amidst prudish, uptight boys.

For a moment, it seemed like everyone had forgotten about how they had ostracized Harry and the Gryffindor Quidditch team as they all followed their example leaving a number of girls shrieking, chuckling and blushing as they found themselves wrapped up in exuberant hugs by their significant others, there was even an older Hufflepuff couple who soundly kissed to the cheers of those around them, being the first Hogwarts couple to do so displaying bravery could be found even in the house of those considered as patient and hardworking in their own way as they rose to the challenge that their French guests had issued. Hermione realized that she had seen the couple ever since her first year hanging out together even if she didn't know their names.

For some reason she knew that even Harry didn't know them and despite that he joined in letting out a loud whoop and she heard the twins wolf whistle. Since they had cheered for the couple, the twins had but naturally followed in their footsteps and kissed their own girlfriends while their best friend wasn't about to be left behind and snogged a very willing Katie.

Her heart warmed up at the sight of the Hufflepuff girl who had large brown curls and eyes like herself and the boy who was with her, a tall good looking raven haired boy looking at her like she was his whole world and the girl looked like she had never been happier than in that moment. Her eyes turned to Harry just as he put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his space beaming at her and a small smile twitched on her lips as she knew that he had noticed that she too had sighed as the couple had kissed.

She even saw Cho Chang being given a kiss once Cedric had set her down after twirling her around and while she couldn't see the expression on the girl's face since her back was to her, she noticed Cedric was beaming at her and knew instinctively that Cho's face would be mirroring his exact emotions. She wondered what would happen now that the Hogwarts champion himself had thrown caution to the wind and followed his heart to the Ravenclaw table, even though he didn't have to vault over a single table himself to manage it.

Snape was left seething at the chaos going around him while Dumbledore chuckled to himself.

Hermione couldn't believe what was happening in front of her. She only defended Harry because it was an unfair punishment and she really just wanted to leave the Great Hall as soon as possible, but she never meant to start the chaos going around them. She turned to look at Harry who had a smug expression plastered all over his face.

"Are you happy with yourself! Did you really have to vault over!?" She asked as she crossed her arms, as everyone else was oblivious to them.

"Of course I had to, I missed holding hands with you." He said as he gave her the blasted puppy eyes.

All of Hermione's anger left her as her insides did somersaults and an involuntary smile broke over her face. It wasn't fair, she had told him in one of their cuddling sessions when her mind was blissfully calm as he played with her hair, running his fingers through her curls and she had fell prey to his ministrations, relaxing and sighing as she did so, even as she had further burrowed into his embrace.

It was then as she had stopped thinking that she had blurted out that she loved his eyes, they were the first thing that had attracted her to him. Initially Harry had frozen but then there was a cute smile on his face as he had blushed but found it hilarious she found the eyes of a bespectacled boy nice to look at, to which she had taken offence because she felt like he was making fun of her. They had of course made up with Harry peppering her cheeks with kisses as he pleaded for forgiveness until she broke and kissed him back soundly as he had shyly confessed he found her eyes very pretty too. The first thing that he had found attractive about her was the way she smelled so good always and gave the best hugs ever.

She had felt her cheeks heat up and heart race to hear his admission but the prat now always took advantage of her obvious fascination and secret bias for his eyes and used it on her to get out of a scolding from her. _Those emeralds will be the death of me!_

Strangely enough, she had felt a sense of solidarity with James Potter, a man she hadn't even known or met after Harry began using those emeralds of his on her. She could understand why James would have been crazy about Lily, as Sirius and Remus often mentioned, with eyes like those. Poor man never had a chance once he was caught in the allure of that hypnotizing green gaze, just like her.

She noticed he was smirking because he had caught on to her being lost in his eyes and knew she couldn't let him keep that smug grin on his face for long.

"You keep saying things like that and I'm going to have to snog your brains out, Potter." She smirked at him.

"Is that a promise?" He retorted cheekily.

Hermione looked around and saw that the chaos was still going on and nobody was paying attention to them anymore. Using that as her opportunity, she grabbed Harry's tie and pulled him towards her, crashing his lips with hers for a second, taking him entirely by surprise, before she backed away and winked at his dazed expression.

She turned around and saw that everyone was still too busy with their small revolution to have seen that, she turned towards Snape and saw that he was looking intensely at the Head Table. When she turned to look at it, she spotted Madame Maxime chuckling as if the sight tickled her French bones silly, while Karkaroff was looking disgusted by the display in front of him as the rest of the staff looked on agape some amused, some frowning or glaring while Hagrid laughed heartily.

It was then she noticed that Dumbledore looking at Harry and her with a knowing expression on his face as he gave them a wink, which made Hermione blush profusely as she involuntarily let out a small squeak as her hands flew to her mouth on impulse making Dumbledore chuckle even as she was horrified to have been caught by their headmaster of all people. Even though he didn't teach them the thought of one of her professors noticing her acting so impulsively, as she indulged in an intimacy had her heart racing and before she knew it she had grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him out of the Great Hall as the chaos ensued.

They only got a few meters away from the Great Hall before they were interrupted.

"Harry!"

The couple turned around and saw Ginny Weasley sprinting towards them.

"Oh, hey Ginny…" Harry greeted awkwardly as the redhead reached them.

"Hi." She said smiling too much for Hermione's liking, especially after she had gawked at him only half an hour ago.

"Err… you needed something?" He said as he used his free hand to awkwardly scratch the back of his neck.

"Oh… no, I just," Ginny grabbed Harry's hand which made Hermione see red at the audacity of this witch! "I just wanted to apologize for not saying anything to all those people who have been targeting you recently."

"Umm… thanks." He said as he pulled his hand from Ginny's but the redhead tried to grab it again but Harry moved a step back and held onto the straps of his backpack.

"Do you know what you're going to do about the tournament? Do you have a strategy to win?" She asked as she looked at Harry, adoration clear in her eyes.

"Err… no." He once again took a step back and this time he moved his hands to his pockets, away from Ginny's reach. Hermione saw the girl finally caught onto Harry's reticence as her face fell, even if momentarily.

"Oh, well… I'm sure you'll win Harry." She said while flashing him a radiant smile that made Hermione feel rather annoyed with the girl.

Harry was about to open his mouth to give what Hermione assumed would be another awkward reply, but she beat him to it. Not wanting this to continue any longer.

"Harry," She spoke nonchalantly. "Come on, we have a free period since Hagrid has cancelled his class for today and we have to use it to prepare for the tournament." She finished with a radiant smile of her own.

"Right, yes!" Harry said as he immediately brightened up at that and immediately turned away from the redhead, not even saying goodbye.

"Ooh! I'll join you guys!" Ginny said in a rather high pitched voice. "I'm having a lot of trouble with DADA, do you think you could teach me, Ha-"

"Don't you have potions right now, Ginny? Wouldn't Professor Snape be mad if you skipped?" She turned to the girl and asked her innocently, fully aware of the answer.

"Right. You're right." She said curtly, giving Hermione a tight smile. "Thank you, Hermione."

"Anytime, Ginny." She smiled sweetly at the redhead. "Anytime."

And with that, she turned to Harry again who immediately took her hand and intertwined their fingers as they walked away from the sight of the girl whose gaze she felt boring holes into her back.

Once they were away from the castle and she knew out of the eyesight of voyeurs she wasted no time, as she let go of his hand, confusing Harry for a second before she put her arm across his lower back, her fingers curling over his hip, and placed her head on his shoulder, snuggling into him noticing how Harry smiled as he put an arm around her shoulders from her peripheral vision as she began leading him towards the Black Lake. After a few minutes of walking, she heard Harry's curious voice from slightly above her.

"Ummm… Hermione?"

"Mhmm." She purred as she snuggled deeper into the crook of his neck. Harry was about half a head taller than her, something she hadn't realized until recently since she had become used to them being about the same height during their first three years, but now she couldn't help but love as it gave her perfect access to the crook of his neck while they cuddled.

"Where are we going?"

"Oh," She said as she pulled away from him and immediately missed his warmth. "I wanted to go to the Black Lake, you know? The spot we were at a week and a half ago. You don't want to?" She finished trying to sound dejected.

"Yes!" He assured her immediately. "I do, I was just curious you know. I thought we were heading to the room."

"Oh, don't you worry, Potter." She leaned into him again and whispered into his ear, making him shudder, enjoying the effect she had on him. "We can also snog out there." Hermione winked at him, dropping a kiss on the shell of his ear as she did so, making him exhale loudly which caused her to laugh as she once again snuggled into him as they walked.

It was more than an hour later that the two teens laid on the ground, once again in the spot they had found all those days ago, away from prying eyes, incredibly dazed and happy at the same time. Their clothes were rumpled, ties long since lost, lips swollen, cheeks flushed, hair even more of a mess than usual and eyes bright courtesy of each other and their insatiable desires for one another. After an incredibly long snogging session, they were just cuddling on the grass, Hermione's head on top of Harry's chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat thundering inside.

"Have I told you how amazing you are at snogging." He sighed contently after he placed his glasses back on his nose again as he placed a kiss on the top of her head which made her smile stupidly.

"You may have mentioned it once or twice." She turned to look at him. "You're not so bad yourself, Potter." She said before pecking him on the lips for a few seconds before she pulled away and once again took her place atop his chest.

"This is nice." She breathed out and felt Harry chuckled beneath her.

"Understatement of the year, Granger. This is perfect." He said as he snaked his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

She would never get tired of him and his constant affections, they were just perfect in her book.

A few minutes later she untangled from him and sat down beside him.

"Do you want to read the letter right now or do you want to wait?" She asked softly.

Harry sat up as well and looked at her with a 'let's just get this over with' expression. Hermione nodded, knowing what he wanted to do and just wanting to be there for him in case the letter turned out to be what they both feared. Harry reached into his pockets and grabbed what was now a heavily crumpled letter.

"Did you really have to crumple it up?" She couldn't help but chide him.

"We can't all be as perfect as you, Hermione." He said with an amused smile as he opened the letter.

Hermione watched Harry read the contents and watched the myriad of emotions he went through, at first he looked like he was about to cry before his face paled, his hands started trembling, and he stared blankly into the paper for what was like five minutes straight. Getting concerned, she grabbed his free hand and looked at him worriedly.

"Harry…?"

He handed her the letter and immediately stood up, pacing in front of her. Hermione hadn't even looked at the letter and could already tell it was bad, she had only seen Harry this shaken up once or twice before and it was never good. Gingerly, she turned the letter around and began reading it.

_Harry Dear,_

_When I heard what happened at the selection and you being in the tournament I was completely incensed! I tried contacting Dumbledore and getting him to do something but he explained to me that he couldn't since the Goblet created a magically binding contract._

_After this, I sent Ron a letter with a message for you but I never heard back from him. I sent him another letter and still didn't hear back from him and I got even more worried. I contacted the twins and asked them if something was wrong when they told me about you and Ron._

_I would like to apologize for Ron's actions Harry, I know that he always loved being in the spotlight and has always dreamed of having a chance to prove himself, but I never thought he would act this cruelly because of a tournament. It's clear to anyone with common sense that the tournament is incredibly dangerous and the people who put your name in didn't do it because they cared about your wellbeing._

_Please remember that you'll always be welcome at the Weasley household and that Arthur and I love you like a son. I'm glad that at least Fred and George have been with you, and are providing you the help Ron should have._

_Since I couldn't get Dumbledore to get you out of the tournament, I thought the least I could do was help you out in whatever way I could._

_Now, as you may know Arthur worked a little bit in the tournament to make the experience more 'enjoyable' to the audience. Unfortunately, he didn't know anything pertaining to the tasks as his job was purely to implement magic into muggle technology._

_However, Charlie did know what the first task entailed and after a lot of prodding he finally told me. According to him, the dragon reserve where he works at was brought on-board for the tournament. They were supposed to import three dragons to Hogwarts but with your unexpected entrance, they are now exporting four different and extremely deadly dragons!_

_Unfortunately Charlie hasn't been given the list of the dragons yet and since he was sent in advance to prepare their enclosures he couldn't know beforehand which ones were being sent either so neither he nor I know what breeds have been picked by the committee managing the tournament for the task._

_Now, Charlie doesn't really know what the task is fully about, but he told me he's pretty sure it will involve getting past or stealing something from the dragon!_

_Harry, I need you to be really careful. These dragons are extremely dangerous and no one person can handle them. I'm telling you this because I know that they aren't even telling you what the task will be and if you know at least you can prepare._

_Please don't do anything stupid, Harry. This tournament is deadly and foolish and I couldn't bear losing you over it. Please just promise me you won't do anything stupid and dangerous to win. I give you my best wishes for the task. Regrettably, Arthur didn't manage to get tickets so we won't be able to attend, so please remember you're in our hearts and that you're not alone. You'll get through this, Harry. I know you will._

_Love,_

_Molly Weasley_

Hermione's hand was shaking as she stopped reading and she didn't even notice she was crying until she felt the tear leave her cheek. She couldn't believe what was happening, this was her worst fear. Harry was going to have to face a dragon, _alone_ , and she could do nothing to help him, to save him. He was facing that thing and she was useless.

She turned to look at him and saw that he was shaking as he stared at nothing in particular. Pushing away her fears she focused on her boyfriend as she went to him and pulled him into a hug. He reciprocated readily, once again clinging onto her as if she were his only lifeline like he had all those nights ago in the common room.

Hermione had no idea how long they stayed, just holding each other as they processed what this meant. Harry would have to face a dragon, he would have to face what was probably the most dangerous beast out there. Since they weren't warned before, she assumed and at least hoped that they were only going to be allowed a wand. She shuddered internally at the thought of Harry facing a dragon without anything on him. So Harry was pretty much going to go face the most dangerous creature on earth with hopefully his wand at his disposal.

She pulled back and looked at him determinedly.

"Ok, what are we going to do?"

She saw Harry immediately sober up, the change before her eyes was substantial as he went from a person completely lost and deep in his own misery to someone determined and ready. He once again stood up and began pacing.

"Ok, here's what we know." She began, thinking reciting the facts would be the best thing to come up with a plan. "We know that there's going to be a dragon per champion and that you either have to get past it or steal something from it."

"Right." He muttered. "They probably won't make us kill it since that would be absurd… right?" He turned to look at her as if she knew all the answers and though for the first time she didn't, she knew she had to stay strong for his sake and nodded.

"Yes, they're borrowing the dragons from the reserve so they definitely don't want you to kill them. It would be hell to convince a reserve to let their prized attractions be sold for slaughter, not to mention too expensive even if a single dragon is involved let alone four and killing dragons, unless it's in self defense is a crime. These idiots have pretty much made them the entertainment factor here, and despite everything they can't expect a couple of kids to kill a dragon, not when you're talking about 17 or in your case, a 14 year old champion going individually against a dragon."

"I think you're probably going to have to steal something from them. Professor Dumbledore always expressed how dangerous and deadly this tournament is so they won't just be satisfied with you getting past them. They want a show, and there would be no show more perfect than stealing something from a dragon, regarded naturally as the most ferocious of protectors and guardians." She spat venomously, cursing the stupid creators of this bloody tournament.

"Yes," Harry said dejectedly. "What else do we know? Do you know anything about dragons?" Harry asked her and she shook her head sadly. "Ok, let's go to the library. We'll figure something out, I'm sure we will." He said nodding to himself.

Hermione was still not convinced and she could see Harry sensed that as he went to her and grabbed both her hands with both of his. "We'll get through this, Hermione. Together." He said resolutely and Hermione couldn't help but believe him.

They had defeated the troll in the girl's bathroom _together_. They had beaten all the obstacles and reached the stone _together_. They had managed to brew polyjuice potion and plan for the infiltration to the Slytherin common room _together_. They had figured out and defeated Slytherin's monster _together_. They had managed to free Buckbeak together. They had saved Sirius from the Dementor's kiss, twice, _together_. As long as they were together, they could beat anything. Harry knew that and now... so did she.

"Together," She whispered to him as she squeezed his hands and kissed him softly on the lips wrapping her arms around him fiercely. Hermione tried to convey everything she felt right now in the kiss. She tried conveying her fear for him, she tried conveying her determination to help him, but most importantly, she wanted to convey her faith in _them_. She pulled back and saw him smile brightly at her and she couldn't help but smile back.

Together they could face anything.


	18. Scared Of Losing You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta-Read By Aani

" _Dragons are extremely difficult to slay, owing to the ancient magic that imbues their thick hides, which none but the most powerful spells can penetrate…_ " Hermione continued reciting from the giant tome she was reading from.

Harry just groaned as he thumped his head against the table and grumbled. It had been a surprise when Hermione had appeared in the boys dorm at 5 in the morning, ordering him to take a shower and meet her in the common room in half an hour.

Yesterday he had to be strong for Hermione as he could see she was about to spiral with worry, hoping that by convincing her everything would be alright, he'd convince himself in the process but he couldn't. The fear never left his chest, not even Hermione kissing him and cuddling with him did anything to exorcise that particular demon.

He had not slept a wink last night, the last time he checked the clock it was 4:30am so if he did get some sleep, it wasn't more than fifteen minutes. As he laid in his bed last night, images of him being burned alive, ripped to shreds, eaten alive plagued his mind, the list went on and on.

And now here he was, at 7:30 in the morning, in the library, listening to Hermione rambling on about dragons while his certain death continuously flashed before his eyes even as they were begging for sleep for a second… or two… or twenty seven thousand.

"Harry, are you even paying attention!"

Harry groaned and looked up to see Hermione's withering glare, his tiredness not even allowing him to flinch under it. He moaned as he raised his head and looked at Hermione expectantly. Understanding what he meant and continued reading.

" _The flames they produce are commonly referred to as: dragon fire. They aren't like normal flames, for their magical properties make it so that they leave permanent scars on the body with no known cure of any kind. There is no othe…_ "

Hermione continued reading but Harry stopped paying attention as he once again let his head fall to the table. He was unbelievably tired right now and listening to Hermione go on and on about every way a dragon could kill him was not helping him. He needed rest, he needed coffee, he needed to be calm and continue processing the dragons before he could start planning on how he was going to survive one of his own.

"Harry James Potter!" He heard Hermione roar at him as she shut the book forcefully and let it fall to the table with a force that made everything on the table bounce.

He looked up once again and met her deathly glare as he once again forced his head off the table and sat straight. Hermione didn't let him get a word in as she started shouting at him.

"Honestly! I'm here trying to find a way to help you get past the dragons and you're dozing off, it's like you don't even care about your life!" He noticed her hands were shaking as she started piling up all the books. "Do you honestly ca-"

"Hermione!" He snapped as he stood up. His chair tumbled back and made a screeching sound in the process. Hermione was startled and her expression turned into a really hurt one, making Harry's insides clench with guilt. "It's 7.30 am, I'm very tired, I've hardly slept and I need my coffee. Please just, not now. Later. Please."

He slumped down on his chair as his chest constricted watching Hermione deflate and lose the glint he always noticed in her eyes.

_Great job, Potter. Just amazing. Take your frustrations out on your girlfriend. Shout at the person who's by your side and has always only tried to help you. You don't deserve her getting up at five in the morning to try and help you just because you got stuck in this stupid tournament._

He couldn't even look at her face anymore, the guilt eating him up inside the more he looked at her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. You're just here trying to help and I'm being a git. I'm just really tired, can we please just do this after Transfiguration today?" He said in a low, dejected voice as he stared at his feet.

He heard Hermione move towards him, kneeling down in front of him before she gently grabbed both his hands with hers. He looked up at her and he saw she had a concerned expression on her face.

"Please tell me this isn't an excuse to not research the dragons?" She pleaded in a soft, concerned voice.

Harry's head immediately shot up as he glowered at her. "What's that supposed to mean?" He said through gritted teeth.

"It means these tasks are designed to test you," She continued forcefully, making Harry look away from her. "In the most brutal way they're almost cruel and…"

She gently cupped his face and moved it to look at her. As irritated as Harry was, he couldn't help but lean into her touch and let her guide him. He stared at those chocolate eyes he loved, their glint was back, but it was obscured by her concern for him.

"And I'm scared for you… I'm scared of _losing_ you." He closed his eyes, not being able to look at her as she gently caressed his cheek with her thumb. Hermione withdrew her hand from his face, making him immediately lose the warmth it brought, making him open his eyes, and grabbed his hand once again before continuing.

"The troll, Quirrell, the basilisk… you got past them purely on nerve." She paused and bit her lip in worry. "I'm not sure that's going to be enough this time."

"Hermione," He tried but she silenced him by placing a finger on his lips.

"Just please Harry… promise me you'll take this seriously. Promise me that you won't just put this off until the end and play it by the ear like you usually do." She begged, looking so deep into his eyes he thought she was staring at his soul.

Harry wanted to argue that he had been taking this seriously the whole time, that he had been taking his life seriously ever since the end of last year… but he didn't. As much as he thought he managed to calm Hermione down yesterday, he could still see the overpowering fear deep inside her and continuing to argue with her wouldn't help either of them.

He gave a small nod and saw Hermione give a sigh of relief, the tension left her body as she sagged a little. She stood up, slung her book bag on her shoulder, and gathered all the books they had found about dragons.

"I'll meet you at the entrance, I'm just going to check these out." She said softly and gave him a small smile which he reciprocated.

Half an hour later, they were walking in silence with their hands intertwined, towards the Great Hall. They sat down in front of Neville, Lavender, and Parvati who were already in the middle of having their breakfast.

As soon as they did, Hermione grabbed the cup in front of Harry and made the coffee exactly like he usually made it, even with the two and a half spoonfuls of sugar. She gave it to him with a small smile and he graciously accepted it. It was such a small gesture but it touched his heart as a tender smile crept up on his face.

The more coffee he drank, the less sour his mood got and he started joining the three girls in the conversation. He ate his breakfast peacefully and could sense the tension between him and Hermione slowly dissipate as they began to once again banter.

"I am not dependent on my coffee!" He exclaimed as the three girls giggled at him.

"Sure…" Hermione started.

"Except that you're grumpy without it..." Lavender continued

"I am not grumpy!" He mumbled to himself.

"And you can't pay attention to our conversations without it…" Parvati followed

"It's not my fault you three only talk about boring things like boys and gossip and fashion and did I mention boys!?" He huffed in exasperation.

"Hey! Don't blame me for that! It's them who talk about the boring topics!" Hermione declared as she shoved him lightly.

"Sure… I would much rather talk about school and homework rather than the gossip of the castle." Harry mused sarcastically causing Hermione to poke him roughly on the shoulder.

"I don't only talk about school!" She scowled at him.

"That is the biggest lie that has ever been told in the Great Hall in the history of Hogwarts." Parvati snickered, earning a glare from Hermione.

"I don't just talk about school! Neville, tell them." She turned to look at the chubby boy who still hadn't gotten used to the group's banter and usually sat listening.

Neville's eyes comically widened and he looked as if he was trying to escape. "Umm… Err… Well… Mmmm…"

"Neville," Lavender said sweetly while placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's ok, Hermione's right. She doesn't just talk about school…"

"Thank you, Lavender. See, finally someone unders-"

"She also doesn't shut up about Harry." She finished as she and Parvati doubled up in laughter.

"Lavender!" A blushing Hermione exclaimed horrified while he smirked at her. "I told you those things in confidence." She hissed in a lower tone that Harry could just barely make out.

"Oh please, you gush about him all the time. I'm pretty sure even Filch knows all about your Harry obsession." Said a seemingly satisfied Lavender smugly.

Hermione just glared at the two girls who ignored her and continued laughing. He was about to begin teasing her about it, but Parvati spoke up before he could.

"Did you two see the new rules at the entrance?" She asked, amusedly.

"What new rules?" Hermione seemed horrified at the thought of rules she didn't know.

"Well…" Lavender drawled before looking intently at Harry. "After your little stunt yesterday and the chaos that ensued, Dumbledore and the heads had a meeting where they came up with new rules specifically for the Great Hall."

"With the first one being no vaulting over tables." Parvati said while smirking at them.

Hermione turned to glare at him. "Are you happy with yourself now! They had to create a whole new set of rules because of your antics. A whole new set of rules I have to learn!" He just grinned at his girlfriend causing her to huff in frustration. "You think it's amusing, Potter?"

"I think it's perfect." He said before he continued in hushed tones so that no one else could hear them. "I will be immortalized in the next edition of _Hogwarts: A History_ , as Hermione Granger's over-eager boyfriend who forced the school to create new rules in who knows how long because he needed to hold her hand." She immediately blushed scarlet, making her look even more beautiful to his eyes. "That's a better way to be remembered than by being the boy-who-lived, don't you think?" He finished with a self-satisfied grin

Before Hermione could give what Harry was sure was a stammered response, she was saved by the hundreds of owls that flew in and delivered letters and newspapers to the student body. Two owls flew to the group, handing Lavender and Neville a paper each. As soon as the two Gryffindors paid the owls and the birds left, they grabbed the papers and began reading, though Harry noticed they immediately paled.

Neville looked up at Harry, the boy's face was a mix of concern and fear. The chubby boy quietly extended the paper to him and Harry picked up on what he was doing, grabbing the offered newspaper. As soon as he read the headline, he felt his blood boil like it never had before.

_Muggle Born Witch Bewitches The Boy-Who-Lived Into Attacking Fellow Students_

_Written By Rita Skeeter_

_That's right readers of the prophet, The Boy-Who-Lived Has been bewitched and has attacked 4 fellow students in the Hogwarts halls._

_Yesterday, I went to Hogwarts for the Weighing of Wands ceremony that took place (more on that on pages two and three) and was sought out by a group of students concerned about Harry Potter._

_The group detailed that ever since Harry Potter's name came out of the Goblet of Fire, making him the fourth Triwizard Champion, a muggle-born witch by the name of Hermione Granger has stayed extremely close to The Boy-Who-Lived!_

_When asked why, one member of the group, the pure blood Pansy Parkinson spoke up._

" _It's obvious, she obviously wants the fame and money that being a Triwizard champion brings. She is really good at potions and we're pretty sure she brewed a few love potions and has been dozing Potter with them. It became apparent after the incident that she had bewitched him."_

_When asked what they meant about the incident, Draco Malfoy, son of the honourable Lucius Malfoy, responded._

" _Almost two weeks ago, four Hufflepuffs were trying to talk Potter out of being in the tournament for his own safety, but the muggleborn witch stepped in and tried to force them to stop. When one of them kindly asked her to let him talk, Potter snapped and attacked the four students."_

" _Everyone is now scared of him," Parkinson spoke again. "We are terrified that the next time someone tries to help Potter withdraw as champion, we'll be attacked. Even the four Hufflepuff's that were left on the corridor with broken bones and bruises were too afraid to say anything to the teachers."_

_There you have it, the muggle-born witch Hermione Granger has bewitched the fourth Triwizard Champion and has made him attack his fellow students. This reporter asks will anything be done about this? Will she face consequences for bewitching the saviour of the wizarding world? Will she be expelled for coaxing the attack against those well meaning and innocent students? This reporter certainly hopes that justice get's carried out._

"Harry, what's goin-" Hermione's concerned voice spoke to him but Harry saw red and threw the paper.

Malfoy and his cronies had just done the one unforgivable thing in his book, they targeted Hermione. They besmirched her name, probably ruining any chances she had in the future at being hired at places like Gringotts or the Ministry. They just made her look like some crazy fan girl or worse a gold-digger of some kind, who bewitched him. Most importantly, they just made her the number one target of the wizarding world, brainwashing the subscribers of this worthless piece of trash.

He looked around and was surprised when he saw that no one was glaring at him or Hermione. No, everyone else was sending their withering glares to Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Parkinson, who all wore smug expressions on their faces.

Not caring about the fact that he was in the Great Hall, with everyone watching. Not caring about the fact that Hermione, Neville, Lavender, and Parvati were looking at him with apprehension. Not even caring about the fact that no one even seemed to have paid the article much attention, Harry _snapped_.

He stood up and immediately started walking towards Malfoy and his cronies. The Great Hall was completely silent, his footsteps were the only sounds in the Hall. Well… his footsteps and another four sets of hurried footsteps that followed him. He noticed that everyone who wasn't staring at him with a mix of apprehension and fear was still glaring daggers at the Slytherin group, who had quickly been shunned as everyone near them left.

Seeing their proud and smug faces made Harry snap even more, words weren't enough, they stopped being enough a long time ago.

"Harry stop!" He heard Hermione plead out to him but he ignored it.

"POTTER!" Snape's voice hollered through the Hall and he saw some teachers quickly moving towards them.

Malfoy looked like he was having the time of his life, smirking at him as he made his way through the Great Hall. Unfortunately, he didn't even get past the Hufflepuff table before he felt someone catch hold off him. He roughly pushed back, only seeing it was Neville after doing it.

"Getoff!" Harry snarled as he made to continue moving towards Malfoy but two strong arms locked in around him while another arm removed his wand from his hand before they dragged him away from a smirking Malfoy.

"GETOFF!" He called out as he tried to pry himself away from his two attackers but failed miserably. "GETOFF!" He tried again.

"Shut up, Potter!" A voice he recognized as Cedric's hissed as he was dragged out of the Great Hall, literally kicking and screaming. He noticed Hermione, Neville, Parvati, and Lavender following them as the twins and Lee also made their way toward them.

As soon as he was out of the Great Hall he was roughly pinned against the wall by Cedric and Davies, who were flanked by Bole and Pickering while Hermione, Neville, Lavender, and Parvati watched apprehensively from beside him with the twins and Lee.

"Let me go!" He shouted at the older students.

"Shut up!" Davies hissed at him. "Malfoy was way out of line, we get it and _they_ will take care of him and his goons for snitching, but we don't attack in front of teachers! And we don't attack in the Great Hall!"

"What the fuck are you talking about!? Why do you even care about what I was going to do!? You've made it pretty clear that you hate me these past few weeks." He roared at them.

"This isn't about you, Potter! This is about Malfoy being out of line and us saving your arse!"

Both boys stepped away from him and Harry moved away from the wall, dusting himself off.

"Not all of us hate you, Potter." Cedric said earnestly before giving him his wand back and joining the other three older boys who had continued walking ahead.

"You ok, Harry?" He looked beside him and saw as the twins and Lee made their way to him.

"'I'm fine." He said hotly, wanting to make the four snakes pay for what they did.

"Don't worry Harry," Said Fred as he grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Malfoy will get what's coming to him." George said from beside his twin.

"He will regret what he did, we promise." Finished Fred who released his shoulder.

Before he could ask what the hell they were talking about the three sixth years walked away and into the Great Hall. Harry was left seething in the hallway, he wanted nothing more than to go back inside and kick Malfoy's arse but he was stopped when Hermione immediately came at him and hugged him.

"Let me go, Hermione!" He struggled in her arms as he still seethed but she was relentless and with a strength he was unaware she was capable of, she tightened her grip on him even more as he heard her loud answer in a single word uttered assertively.

"No!"

He tried pushing out of the embrace but Hermione just held him tight.

"Hermione, let m-"

"No!" She replied more forcefully than before, her eyes ablaze with a fierce determination. "You're staying there until you calm down and start thinking instead of acting like an idiotic caveman!"

It took time as she held him and he struggled with his own temper and the incessant need to punch Malfoy's face until he felt satisfied but eventually, he felt himself calm down in her embrace, as the other three watched in an uncomfortable silence. The more his mind tried to be angry the more Hermione's touch calmed him down until he finally stopped fighting her, leaning against her shoulder and breathing in her vanilla scent, calming him even more.

After a couple of moments, he finally reciprocated the hug, exhaling loudly as he held her fiercely, wanting to hold her, to protect her and be protected from himself by her.

Hermione finally spoke to him again, her voice was soft against his ear.

"Better?"

"Loads." He answered truthfully.

She pulled away and her expression quickly darkened into a glare before she began poking him in the chest and into the wall.

"Don't! Do! That! Again!" She accentuated each word with a harsh poke. "Don't be an idiot and fall into Malfoy's ploys."

"Hermione if you had read the article you wo-"

"I don't give a rat's arse about the stupid article, Harry! I care about you! And if you keep attacking people like that you'll get expelled no matter how much you think that Professor Dumbledore wouldn't do that."

Harry sighed and dropped his head in defeat, knowing he couldn't convince Hermione with how she was right now. After a couple of moments she backed away from him, letting him move away from the wall and rejoined the group. As soon as he did, Hermione grabbed his hand and began running her thumb through the back of it. _I swear I will never understand girls!_ He mused internally at the weird changes in emotion Hermione had had in the past minute

"Sorry Nev," He said to the boy who was still clearly queasy from his shoulder jab.

"It's fine," He shrugged. "I kinda guessed you would do that but decided to try anyway."

He gave him an apologetic glance before turning to Lavender and Parvati.

"Do you two know what those two were talking about?" He asked them.

"Not really," Lavender shrugged. "I did hear that those two were trying to stand up for you against the oth-"

"No, not that. What did they mean by _the rules_? Who are _they_?"

"Oh, honestly Harry. You're in fourth year and you don't know?" Lavender chided in her best imitation of Hermione which seemed to break the tension of the group as they all chuckled at that.

"No, really. What did they mean?" He asked when they stopped laughing.

"Well, he's referring to the three main rules every student follows. It's not like they're **actual** rules, mind you, but they are unspoken rules that everyone follows or you face the consequences."

"What are _these_ rules?" Hermione asked eagerly as Lavender gave them a look full of disbelief and shook her head.

 _More rules for her to learn, I guess._ Harry sighed.

"Well," Parvati cast a glance at Lavender before she continued. "Davies already said two of them. No one can attack, or insult for that matter, another student if they know a teacher is present. If a teacher shows up later and catches them it's a different story but it helps with keeping the student squabbles on the low end. The next rule is no one can attack anyone in the Great Hall, not just because of the teachers but because it's considered a neutral zone, something Malfoy never really understood." She chuckled at that.

"What's the third?" Harry asked the two girls.

"Well… the third is the most important one and it hasn't been broken in all our years here… until now..."

"Yes!?" Hermione urged when the girls stayed quiet.

Lavender looked at Parvati before she looked back at the couple.

"Snitches get stitches."

* * *

"Hermione, we're going to find something, it's going to be fine." Harry tried convincing her for the umpteenth time since they left the library for breakfast, though she could tell he wasn't even convinced of that.

"We've been searching for hours and still haven't found anything!" She snapped at him as they were reaching the entrance to the Great Hall. "Everything we have come up with is either too advanced or too stupid!"

As soon as classes had ended yesterday, the two of them had holed themselves up in the library and resumed their research. They had been literally forced out of the library by Madam Pince since she didn't want to leave but finally relented, checking out a dozen books on dragons before she did.

They had gone through countless tomes and didn't find anything useful, that only made Hermione spiral even further in her worry about the first task as she could feel the time ticking by faster than usual. The only reason she was able to get some sleep yesterday was because she needed to be back at the library at 6am today and not sleeping would hinder her researching capabilities.

"Hermio-"

"Don't say it's going to be fine, Potter." She snapped at him once again. "Let's just get through classes and return to the library." She mumbled as she took the seats with Lavender, Parvati, and Neville.

She needed to do something, the clock was ticking and Harry counted on her. If she didn't find a way to help him… _**no**_ , she wouldn't, couldn't think like that. There was still a little bit over a week. There was enough time, Harry's right. You're going to find something and Harry will come out of the first task alive and well.

Breakfast went by pretty quickly though she hardly could tell what she ate or how much, she could tell Harry made sure she had enough though. Hermione noticed that the others were having a conversation about something, but she was too engrossed in her thoughts to pay attention to it.

_Dragons: unpierceable skin, extremely dangerous flames, extremely fast flyers, absurdly big. Claws and in case of certain species even spiked tails. Considered as one of the most aggressive species of magical beasts on the planet._

That was her mantra as she tried to figure out something, anything, to help Harry against the dragons. She cursed the organizers for the millionth time this day for having such reckless and dangerous and stupid tasks. _What are the champions supposed to do against a dragon when it takes a full team of professionals to subdue them!?_

Hermione was brought out of her musings by the parliament of owls that had suddenly appeared in front of her, dropping hundreds of letters in the process. She had completely forgotten about the stupid article from yesterday but didn't care. She'd just ignore them and go back to the main problem, _bloody dragons!_

Hermione looked to the others and saw Lavender and Parvati openly scowling at the mountain of letters that had formed in front of them while Neville looked at them hesitantly. She turned to look at Harry only to see him give an icy glare to the letters, as if they'd personally insulted him.

The last owl dropped it's letter and left. _Let's get this over with._ She said to herself as she covered her ears in full preparation for the howlers that were about to go off any minute now. But they never had a chance as suddenly, the mountain of letters caught fire, making her immediately back off from the table, as did everyone else but Harry.

She turned to look at her boyfriend and saw him still glaring at them with his wand pointed at the burning mountain. Before the fire could get out of control she saw Harry placing a shield on top of it, essentially making it harmless for everyone near. As soon as the dome was in place, he didn't even bat an eye at it, he pocketed his wand once again and continued eating as if nothing had happened.

It was only then that Hermione realized that everyone in the Hall was looking at them, something she could handle as they had stopped with the glares a week ago, instead they were just looking with amused expressions at the burning letters.

"Potter!" Professor McGonagall said sternly as she was suddenly by their side instead of at the Head Table. "What is the meaning of this!"

Harry turned to look at the teacher, as he silently finished chewing the last of his breakfast while Professor McGonagall glared daggers at him. Once he gulped down the food, he finally addressed the professor.

"Sorry about that," He started as he motioned to his mouth and Hermione was sure she was the only one that could pick up on the slight cheekiness in his tone. "Ummm, I really don't know what you mean, Professor." He finished with an awkwardness that Hermione was sure was fake.

"You just decided to burn all those letters in the middle of the Great Hall and you don't know what I mean?" She asked disapprovingly with a raised eye-brow.

"Ohhh, that." He said with mock realization clear on his tone for everyone. "I got cold, you know how Novembers in Scotland are, professor. I didn't want to catch something with the first task so close." He finished with a grin.

McGonagall clearly wasn't amused by his attempt at humour. _There goes his stint as a Marauder_ , she thought amusedly.

"You can't just up and burn letters in the Great Hall just because you feel like it, Potter. People could've gotten hurt." She said disapprovingly while Harry just stared at her, Hermione noticed he was barely stopping himself from making a remark. "I will have to take away 15 points from Gryffindor for this."

"What a shame," Harry muttered sarcastically under his breath, something Professor McGonagall didn't miss as her eyes narrowed and lips pursed.

"And another fifteen for your cheek, Potter. The only reason I'm not giving you detention is because the first task is coming up but if you continue like this, I will be forced to act, do I make myself clear?" She said while giving him a reproving stare.

She could tell Harry was about to fire off another remark and get himself in detention, something that certainly wouldn't help with keeping the prat alive, so she stepped up beside him and spoke before he could.

"He understands perfectly," She said matter-of-factly as she grabbed his hand, crushing it in a fierce grip. "Right, Harry?" She asked as she turned to him, making pretty clear what the answer was.

"Crystal." He said through gritted teeth as he stared back at the Professor.

"Good. You should listen more to Miss Granger, Potter." Professor McGonagall said as she turned to her with a piercing stare.

Harry held his tongue as she gripped his hand harder. Receiving no more comments, Professor McGonagall went back to the Head Table and everyone else went back to their breakfasts.

"Must you be so sarcastic with everyone!?" She hissed at him, wishing that for once he held his mouth when teachers reprimanded him instead of picking fights with them.

"How am I the bad guy here!?" He whispered to her incredulously. "Was I supposed to just let the howlers go off!?"

"No," Her expression softened and she squeezed his hand. "Trust me, I really appreciate what you did, but if you just let Professor McGonagall admonish you and just say 'Yes, Professor' or 'Sorry Professor' it would be so much easier for you than picking a fight with her and extending the argument."

Harry shrugged at her with an apologetic expression. "Being passive has never been who I am, Hermione."

Hermione sighed. "I know," She said lamely as she perched her head on his shoulder. _It's one of the things I love about you, you idiot_.

She closed her eyes, basking in the moment of relaxation, which being close to Harry gave to her as she sighed contentedly, wishing they could spend all their time like this instead of worrying about dragons and tournaments.

"Hey Potter!"

Hermione groaned internally as she separated from Harry only to see Cedric Diggory approaching them while holding two letters.

"Cedric?" Harry asked in a curt tone when the Hufflepuff reached them.

"Can I talk to you?" He asked hesitantly as he looked around. "In private."

"Sure." Harry looked around for a moment before he shrugged, stood up, and immediately offered his hand to Hermione.

She gave him a curious look to which he just rolled his eyes and motioned once again to grab his hand. She gingerly took it and allowed him to help her up before the two of them followed Cedric outside of the Great Hall as everyone watched them.

When they were outside, Harry and Hermione stood there waiting for a second as a nervous Cedric Digory gingerly looked at them.

"So," Harry said, finally breaking the awkward silence. "You wanted to talk about something?"

The Hufflepuff boy let out a deep breath and lowered his head before he once again looked at them.

"I wanted to thank you… for the _letter_." Hermione cast a questioning eyebrow to Harry which he ignored as he stared at Cedric. "To be honest I didn't really believe you. I mean, Dragons! It sounds insane, right!"

Both champions chuckled at that, but the sound of their laughter was clearly forced and hollow; Hermione herself fidgeted nervously as _that_ topic returned to her mind.

"So, yeah. I thought you were having a go at me." He pulled out one letter and gave it to Harry. "Then my mum sent me _this_ just now... and it's contents matched exactly what you said to the tee. Dad told her and she didn't like the thought of me facing a dragon without being prepared. Anyways, the point is thank you. After how everyone has been treating you after the name came out, I didn't expect you to try and help me out."

Harry handed the letter back to Cedric and shrugged. "It's the least I could do. Besides, I heard you were telling the others to back off, so I guess we're even."

"It's not like you needed any help with that." Cedric chuckled. "You managed to scare off anyone with a brain after what you did to the other Hufflepuffs. I'm sorry about them, they were completely out of line by the way."

"Yeah…" Harry said, shuffling his feet a bit and awkwardly paused.

"Did you tell the others?" Cedric asked after a few moments.

"Yeah, I sent identical letters to the three of you. It wouldn't be fair if you guys didn't know while I did."

Hermione immediately felt a pang of guilt at being so focused about Harry that she completely ignored the other champions. She so wanted to snog Harry's brains out for being the noble prat that he was.

"Do you think they'll believe it?" He asked the older Hufflepuff.

"I don't know." Cedric sighed and shrugged a little. "There's nothing we can do but hope they do believe you. I'll try to talk to them anyways and confirm your story."

"Thanks. I hope that they do believe you at least. You're the _**real**_ Hogwarts champion after all."

Cedric was a little taken aback at that even though they had just discussed facing dragons like people discussed the weather. Then he gave a small smile, even as he looked a bit awkward and uncertain.

"It's nothing… Harry." He said as he extended his hand to her boyfriend.

Harry immediately grabbed it and shook it.

"Good luck." Cedric told Harry, to which he nodded, before he left.

Hermione immediately turned to him.

"You warned the others?" She said and couldn't keep the affection from colouring her voice.

"Yeah," Harry said nervously as he scratched the back of his head shyly. "When you went to sleep last night I stayed in the common room thinking about the tournament and I remembered that the other three didn't know. So I wrote three identical letters warning them and sent them with Hedwig last night."

Hermione immediately started dragging him with the hands they had intertwined.

"Ummmm, Hermione? Where are we going? Our bookbags are back at the Great Hall." He asked bewildered.

She looked around and saw a broom closet but immediately dismissed it, crinkling her nose at it; instead she opted for the empty classroom on the other side of the Hall. She entered and quickly shut the door, locking it and adding every privacy spell she had learnt for this situation.

"Hermione? We have Charms in f- mphh!"

She didn't let him continue as she pinned him to the wall and began kissing him with all the passion she felt for him. Harry, while initially taken by surprise by her kiss, could only give a small moan of pleasure before he started kissing her back as passionately as she was kissing him.

Twenty minutes later, a disheveled, grinning Hermione was receiving her first tardy in all her Hogwarts years as an even more disheveled, dazed Harry followed her inside.

* * *

"Where are you, Hermione?" Harry asked to himself as he was leaving the library.

It was Saturday, only two days before the First Task, and the past week had been hell for him. It had definitely been the worst week ever since his name came out of the Goblet, even if he didn't have everyone glaring at him or the Prophet publishing more pieces on him or Hermione. Not even because of the fact that he had to face a dragon in about 48 hours and still had no plan. No, that quickly took the backseat when Hermione had started spiraling.

As the week went on, Hermione had become more erratic, more nervous, more worried, and definitely more determined to help him out. It got to the point that she refused to attend classes on Thursday and Friday, instead opting to go over the same books over and over again searching for a way to get past the dragons.

He had skipped along with her and spent all day in the library, though he wasn't really paying attention as he was becoming more and more worried about Hermione. Not because he wasn't terrified about the task, he definitely was. He hadn't stopped having nightmares of his various deaths as he went up against a dragon and he really did dread the very notion of facing a dragon.

But watching Hermione slowly lose herself, as she didn't even come down for meals or even sleep properly was an experience he clearly could do without. She was borderline neurotic, at some instances he'd catch her looking at him, as if he were already dead and then shaking her head roughly, trying to rid herself of that thought. Granted, that didn't give him the confidence he felt he needed right now.

But the first task was in the future, Hermione was in the now and she was clearly losing her mind. He'd worry about the dragon when he actually came face to face with the beast, it's not like he had been prepared for and planned his encounters with Quirrell or a basilisk. He'd… do something, anything, he'd think of something right there. But right now, Hermione became his main focus.

So he'd been looking for her - in the common room, the Great Hall, the library, empty classrooms. He'd even called her mirror but she didn't pick up. He internally promised himself with a huff of exasperation that if he managed to come out of the task alive, and if she called him out again on not answering his mirror, he'd use this against her.

He stepped out of the library and stopped, his shoulders sagging as he let out a tired sigh. He needed to find her but he couldn't think of a place she'd be… except...

He immediately began sprinting towards the seventh floor, cursing his own stupidity when he arrived and saw the door of the room was visible. He gingerly opened the door and saw Hermione pacing in front of a couch, which was located in front of a couple of large bookshelves, as she read a large book. After closing the door quietly and quietly asking the room to lock itself for everyone else, he called out to her.

"Hermione?"

Hermione was startled for a moment before she looked at him, her face brightening completely.

"Harry!" She yelled out and launched like a missile at him, enveloping him tightly in the strongest hug he'd ever received from her. He felt her shaking in his arms and he could've sworn he heard a sob come from her.

"Hermione…?" He once again asked, causing Hermione to bury herself even more against the crook of his shoulder, hugging him so tightly he was sure she was going to break a rib… or twelve.

He thought about pulling back, but immediately dismissed the idea. Not only would Hermione not let him, but he also needed this just as much as she did. He leaned into her touch and hugged her back, breathing in her vanilla scent and sighing before he kissed her temple as he held her tightly.

It was after a peaceful few minutes that she pulled back and looked at him, he could tell she was trying to commit every aspect of his face to memory as if he would disappear at any second. He cupped her face with his hands, noticing how she immediately leaned into his touch and closed her eyes.

Before she could open them again, he gently leaned in and kissed her. It wasn't one of their passionate kisses they constantly share, nor just a peck like they sometimes did. It was a soft, tender kiss, a gentle kiss in which Harry tried conveying a single promise.

_I will always come back to you, Hermione Jane Granger_

When he pulled back he couldn't help but notice the small shudder Hermione gave, as if she was missing the warmth the kiss brought her. He gave her a small yet genuine smile, which she reciprocated, before he grabbed her hand and led her to the couch, sitting down beside her. She leaned into him and snuggled up against the crook of his neck, he reflexively placed a small kiss on the crown of her head before laying his head atop of hers.

They spent a couple moments in blissful silence before Harry was forced to break it and bring them back to reality.

"We need to talk about the task." He said softly and felt how Hermione immediately tensed.

"Right, right. We need to do more research." She started as she was leaving his side but he didn't let her, grabbing her and gently pulling her down against him, letting her snuggle to his chest while his arms encircled her figure. He couldn't help but bask in the warmth she brought him… the feelings she never failed to incite within him as his very being felt at peace with her presence at his side.

"No." He said gently and felt Hermione immediately try to escape his grip but he didn't let her and continued with a stern voice. "We've done enough research, Hermione. You're killing yourself doing this. When was the last time you slept?"

"Harry, we need to figure out what yo-"

"When was the last time you slept, Hermione." He cut her off, his tone harder than before.

"What does that matter!?" She was fighting his grasp and he finally decided to release her. As soon as he did she sat cross-legged on top of the couch, staring at him as if he were crazy.

"When was it, Hermione?" He continued, ignoring her question.

"Harry-"

"When!?" He snapped

"Wednesday night, ok! What does that have to do with anything!?"

"You're killing yourself, Hermione!" He roared at her as he stood up. "You've been acting way worse than I had during the beginning of the term! You're not sleeping! You're not eating! You're not even going to classes or doing homework, for Merlin's sake! Are you expecting I'd just sit back and watch you kill yourself doing this!?"

A glaring Hermione surprised Harry by standing up from the couch, lifting her chin defiantly at him.

"Oh, that's rich!" She exclaimed as she roughly poked him on the chest with a shaking hand. " _You_ saying you have to watch helplessly as I kill myself." She poked him harshly in the chest once again. " _You're_ not the one that will have to watch me face a dragon in two days!" She shoved him forcefully. " _You're_ not the one who's failing completely at helping me no matter what you do or how hard you try!" She shoved him on the chest harder than he thought she would be able to, making him slightly stagger backwards. " _You're_ not the one that's going to watch me die horrifically because you didn't do enough!"

Then, before his eyes, she transformed from the angry goddess who was yelling and shoving him to a shell of herself as she slowly crumbled, tears finally falling from her eyes while she started sobbing uncontrollably. Immediately he closed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms and onto the couch as she tucked herself into him and sobbed violently as he could do nothing to soothe her even as he ran his hand over her back, as he held her with the other one and murmured words he thought would soothe her but she lay her hand on his chest while she cried against the small of his neck. When she did that, he gently put her arms around and pulled her further into a hug as she let everything she had been bottling up for the past week.

As time went on, he felt Hermione stopped shaking, her sobs stifled as her tears ceased but he still held her, wanting nothing more than to keep her in his arms, inside his safe embrace, to make sure he never saw her like that again. Seeing her crumble and cry broke something inside him, he hated seeing Hermione like this and would do anything to make sure he never had to see her like this again.

"Hermione… we've already gone through all the books about dragons in the library and the books Sirius and Remus sent. There's nothing we can do, we won't find any new information. We're going to go with the back-up plan we made earlier in the week."

"No! I told you the risk is too high! We can't purely base a plan on you managing to hit the dragon straight in the eyes!"

"Hermione-"

"No!" She exclaimed and once again pulled out of his embrace to look at him. "Just let me continue researching! I'll find som-"

"NO!" Harry finally hollered at her. "You're not going to continue killing yourself over me like that! We've tried to find another way but haven't, we're going with the back-up."

"Why do you care so much about what I'm doing!?" She exclaimed incensed. "You're the one that's going to be facing the dragon! Not me! _You_!"

"You're more important." He said earnestly as he stared intensely at Hermione.

"I'm not! You could die, Harry." She choked out as she took hold of his hands.

He avoided her eyes for a second before staring back at her, resolutely.

"I know." He closed and took a deep breath before he opened them again and looked back at her glistening eyes. "But you're more important."

"Harry..." Her pleading only made his chest constrict.

"I'll try to figure out another way. But for now, that's the plan." He said in a tone that brokered no arguments as he removed one of his hands from hers before cupping her face. "Just please, rest a little. I can't bear seeing you act like you have for the past couple of days."

He leaned his forehead against hers and could see her internal turmoil before she finally gave in and nodded.

"Thank you." He said softly before kissing her tenderly. After a few seconds he pulled back before shifting his position, before gently moving Hermione to lay on the couch, her head on his lap.

"What are you doing, Harry?" She asked as she let him guide her.

"You need sleep. I'll wake you up for lunch." He said softly as he placed a kiss on her temple.

"If you want to go to Hogsmeade it's fine. I'll be here sleeping." She said absentmindedly as she was quickly drifting off to sleep.

Her hair was a mess, her face was red and her eyes were swollen and puffy. She had dark circles under them and yet he had never seen a lovelier sight than this girl who cared for him so much. He has never had anyone concerned about him, his well being; let alone matter enough to anyone that they'd go insane as they worried about him, his safety, his very life. As far as he was concerned, there wasn't a girl more beautiful in this world than the one who was drifting off to sleep in his lap. She looked like every dream, wish and prayer he ever had in all his life answered and come true all at once. She seemed more peaceful by the second, her slow breathing calming him as he gently played with her hair.

"There's no other place I'd rather be at."

* * *

"This is nice." Harry sighed contentedly as he pulled Hermione closer to him.

It was a pretty warm noon, well… as warm as it gets in November in Scotland. Knowing there was only a couple of weeks before it would be impossible to enjoy a day out, the couple had decided to go to _their_ spot on the edge of the Black Lake. They were sitting, Harry's back was against the boulder while Hermione nuzzled into his chest, his arms wrapping her up safely in his embrace.

He heard Hermione hum in agreement, but could tell her mind was still on the task, tomorrow's task. He knew that tomorrow he would most likely be in a really bad state, especially with a lackluster plan like the one they came up with.

After he had woken Hermione up a couple of hours following their fight in the room, they'd gone down to have lunch at the Great Hall. It was only when Hermione had had the sleep and meal she needed that he allowed himself to worry about the task. They had expanded on the plan they had, which still was a pretty rubbish plan, but at this point they didn't have any other choice.

Following their small practice session, they had taken full advantage of the room and created a small target practice course. He had spent all his free time yesterday practicing his aim, slowly but surely getting better at it and even increased the distance from which he fired at his targets. They had also started early this morning and went on for about five hours before Harry had called in a small two hour break.

He still didn't feel right about the first task, but he did feel a bit better after all the practice he'd just had, he felt better about his chances of hitting the dragon in the eyes than the day before. But right now, he needed to forget about the tournament for a while, he needed to relax for a while.

Something he knew he would regret tomorrow, but that was future Harry's problem. Present Harry was going to enjoy this moment with his beautiful girlfriend.

They had been sitting in a comfortable silence for what felt like an eternity, Hermione's presence calming him, easing his worries, making him feel like he could actually succeed tomorrow. He knew some people would consider what they're doing boring, but he wouldn't change this for anything.

 _Well… maybe we can add a bit of snogging in a while_. He thought, as an amused smile tugged at his lips.

He closed his eyes and buried his face into her hair, breathing in the vanilla scent she always seemed to have, and was pleasantly surprised when Hermione let out a small purr and leaned back, melting into him. As she did so, he subconsciously tightened his grip on her, trying to bring her as close as humanly possible to himself.

"Excusez-moi?" He heard someone call out, the tone nervous and uncomfortable.

A startled Harry and Hermione quickly disentangled from one another, standing up and putting some distance between themselves while trying to keep the blush from appearing on their faces. He turned towards the sound of the voice and saw Fleur looking at them with an apologetic smile even as her cheeks bloomed crimson too.

"Yes?" Harry asked defensively, not only unhappy that their moment was ruined but also on edge about speaking to anyone else right now, especially after the past three weeks.

There was a small pause before she finally spoke.

"Ze dragons. Why did you warn me?"

"What?" Harry asked dumbly, blinking, not expecting her to want to talk about this.

"You found out about ze dragons. Instead of keeping ze information to yourself, you warned me. You warned the three of us. Why?"

"Oh, err… I guess it just wouldn't be fair if I didn't tell you. Now we all know." He shrugged awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head uncomfortably.

"But why? You would've 'ad an advantage over us. Why warn us about zem?"

Harry wasn't able to answer as he noticed Fleur looked him over, deep in thought, as if she was analyzing everything she could about him. He felt Hermione come closer to him and grab his hand, squeezing it in solidarity.

"You didn't put your name in ze Goblet, did you?" The Beauxbatons champion asked softly after a few moments.

"Glad to see someone finally realizes it." He blurted out before he knew what he was saying, unable to stop a little resentment dripping from his tone.

"Zank you." The French girl said, giving him a soft smile.

"It's really nothing." He said awkwardly and saw Hermione shaking her head beside him.

Fleur chuckled a little bit and he had to admit, it was a lovely sound.

"Good luck, 'Arry Potter." The Beauxbatons champion said before she turned on her heels and began walking away.

Once she was out of earshot, he saw Hermione turn to him with an amused smile.

"When will you start seeing how amazing you are, Harry Potter?" She asked with an amused expression while she gave a small laugh that made Harry's heart flutter.

"Only when you start admitting you're even more amazing than I supposedly am, Hermione Granger." He said fighting the heat that he felt on his face.

Apparently not caring that Fleur was still within eye-sight, Hermione immediately pounced on him, knocking both of them to the ground. It didn't seem she cared about anything or anyone as she started kissing him passionately while on top of him. It wasn't long before he felt her tongue on his lips and he dutifully opened them for her. Their tongues had an ardent battle for dominance as both let out small moans of pleasure.

After a while he finally yielded, Hermione smirked into the kiss as she started exploring his mouth completely. As she did so, Harry felt his world narrowed down to the wonderful girl in his arms, her warm body over his own, as pleasure coursed through him and her lips now tracing the path of his cheeks as he lay there, eyes closed and arms wrapped around her soaking in this perfect moment.

Soon enough, her lips had traced his cheeks, his eyelids and his forehead. He opened his eyes and looked at her, only to discover that she was looking at him and smiled. His right hand traced the curve of her back and soon his fingers gently found themselves carding through her locks as he pulled her closer and captured her lips with his, a blissful sigh escaping their mouths at the contact.

The kiss started tender but soon enough was a raging inferno. Hermione's passionate snogging turned his brain to mush, rendering him useless to do much except give the occasional moan of pleasure as she had him completely at her mercy. After a while his hands instinctively dropped and cupped her bum, as he felt her gasp into his mouth. He panicked for a second but Hermione nestled her hips closer to his and the panic subsided as his hands gently stroked her cheeks and pulled her closer to him while her hands played with his hair, making it messier, moving across his arms and shoulders, over his chest; never staying constant for a single second.

He couldn't help it. His body couldn't _**not**_ react to her. Soon enough he was aroused and he knew she had to feel it too, as she pulled back and looked at him. Her eyes wore an expression he had never seen before. They had been in situations like this one before; Hermione had been embarrassed and curious the first time. Later she had been shy and flustered which made her seem even more appealing. Today… she seemed _different_.

She wasn't pulling away from him as she had done on the previous occasions when he had ended up getting a hard-on; and he always respected her decision. She didn't begrudge him his reactions, he couldn't even contemplate asking anything beyond that from her.

Today, Hermione lay atop him, breathing hard and disheveled and…. _turned on?_ Was he right? Did he read her eyes correctly? He couldn't know, the familiar chocolates of her eyes had all but disappeared from view as he could only see black and these were unknown to him.

A shiver coursed through him even as he had never felt so hot in all his life. Was this how he appeared to her now? Wholly captivated and lost in her and _hers_? Did she… did she dream of him, like he dreamt of her? He wanted to know, to ask her but felt too shy and tongue-tied by the look in her eyes.

He felt as if an eternity had passed before Hermione separated, and carefully moved away from him, more unwilling than she had ever seemed before while he regained his mental faculties.. He was however unwilling to stop today, not when he had missed her so much these past couple of days and with a literal dragon ahead of him; of all the things in his life right now, he was only ever happy and truly felt alive when she was with him. She was simultaneously the one who kept him sane and drove him insane, in the best possible ways.

In a second, Harry turned the tables by rolling them on the ground so that he was now on top of Hermione, causing her to yelp in surprise before she let out a laugh.

He started kissing her just as passionately as she had kissed him earlier. A few moments later he probed his tongue onto her lips and she opened them with a whimper. Their battle for dominance didn't last long and the sounds of Hermione's moans and whimpers as he snogged her brains out only made him want to kiss her more passionately.

He had Hermione under him, while he was kissing her more passionately than he ever had before, their bodies as close as humanly possible as they both lost themselves in the kiss. He felt as if his body was about to unwillingly discharge and quickly pulled away from her, not wanting to do that while kissing her, eliciting a small whimper from her as he did so. He collapsed beside her, trying to fight off the blush that was appearing on his face, and hugged her to him, her face pressed against his chest as they regained their breath, her vanilla scent intoxicating as he held her.

"I missed this." He panted out, as he felt his heart still racing under his chest and willed it to slow down lest he embarrass himself and heard Hermione laugh into his chest. The sound of it was so distracting that he couldn't help but smile as his addled brain came back to reality. His world was still revolving around her but instead of the passion that he had felt stirring up in his loins not moments before, it was about the rich sound of her laughter and how he had missed it. How she could make him feel happy with a single gesture and he felt his body naturally cooling off.

"Honestly, Harry. It's only been a week." She said breathlessly and Harry could picture her amused smile.

"I don't care, I want this every day if possible." He said with a goofy grin.

She looked up at him with a tender expression and something he didn't recognize but he'd seen a lot in her eyes.

"So do I." She leaned in and kissed him tenderly for a couple of moments before she pulled back and nuzzled back into him.

They spent a few minutes like that before Hermione looked back up at him.

"Lunch?" She asked with a small smile on her face

"Yes, please." He said, standing before he helped her up.

Hermione immediately intertwined their hands and leaned her head on his shoulder as they started the long walk to the castle.

The couple walked in a comfortable silence, basking in the moment as much as he could, knowing it would be broken as soon as they neared the castle.

"We should probably go public, soon." He said absentmindedly as they walked.

"Hmm?" Hermione asked, moving her head from his shoulder to look at him.

"I know we agreed that it would be better for the others to back off before we reveal our relationship, but I think we've given it enough time and I really don't want to hide my affe-"

He was silenced from his rambling when Hermione placed a finger on his lips, beaming at him.

"Yes, I think it's about time." She said tenderly before placing her head on it's rightful place, atop of his shoulder.

They continued in silence before she spoke up again.

"Although, I have to say we've been pretty bad at hiding our relationship." She sighed contentedly.

He couldn't help but chuckle at her before retorting with a cheeky grin. "It's not my fault you can't keep your hands off of me."

She snorted in an un-Hermione like manner. "Oh, please. It's not like you do a good job at keeping your hands off me as well." He could practically see her rolling her eyes at him.

"Well, I guess we're perfect for each other then."

Hermione gave a soft hum of agreement as she clinged more to him, trapping his arm with both of hers.

"It will make it virtually impossible to spend time alone without people snickering at us, though." He said and felt her nod against him. "It's going to be unfair for me, really," He continued cheekily. "Everyone will think I'm corrupting prim and proper Hermione Granger."

She raised her head and looked at him, eyebrows raised in mirth. "And you're not corrupting me, Potter?"

"Me? Please. You're the one doing the corrupting. It seems you've made your mission to snog my brains out as much as you can. People will think I'm the one starting the snogs when it's pretty much always you that loves to leave me with my brains turned to mush."

"Hmmmm…" She mock-pondered before turning to him, a smirk playing at her lips. "You got that right, Potter. And you will keep my secret if you want our snogging sessions to continue."

Harry laughed as his heart fluttered. _This girl is going to be the end of me._

"Yes ma'am." He said with an over the top bow, causing Hermione to roll her eyes at him before once again leaning on him.

The moment they neared the castle the couple separated, only keeping their linked hands as they made their way towards the entrance. Just as they were reaching the giant doors of the entry, Harry spotted Krum and another Durmstrang, the one he always spotted hanging around the famous seeker, making their way out of the castle.

Krum turned to look at them and immediately made their way to them, the other Durmstrang reluctantly following him. Harry didn't miss how Krum's eyes lingered on Hermione for a couple of seconds more than he liked. He immediately removed his hand from hers and brought it around her waist, gently pulling her towards him.

Hermione didn't seem to mind as she just leaned into him slightly, also snaking her hand around his waist as she did so. When she did, he thought he could see Krum follow her movements, but his face was kept in its usual expressionless mask he'd seen the Durmstrang champion wear.

"May I haff vord?" Krum asked immediately upon reaching them.

"Err… what?" Harry asked dumbly for the second time today.

The other Durmstrang started speaking in what Harry could only assume was in Bulgarian, and from the sound of it, the blonde was arguing with the famous seeker, but Krum shut him up with a glare. He turned back to Harry and motioned to a secluded spot outside of the castle.

Harry and Hermione followed the two Durmstrang students outside. He had cast a questioning eyebrow at Hermione, who only rolled her eyes and shook her head at him in response. As soon as the four arrived at the spot Krum had motioned, the older champion immediately turned towards him.

"You varned me about the dragons." Krum stated gruffly.

"Yes…?"

"I didn't believe you."

"I kinda noticed." He said awkwardly.

"I vouldn't haff believed you if Karkaroff didn't varn me."

"I… err… it's ok..?" Harry had no idea what was happening right now, he felt as if he was suddenly put in the spot in front of everyone.

"Thank you." Krum said, his tone turning into an earnest one as he extended his hand towards him.

Harry blinked, completely blanking for a second before he gingerly extended his own and shook the older boy's hand, surprised at how firm Krum's handshake was.

"It's nothing really." He said awkwardly while he pulled his hand from the Bulgarian and into the pocket of his pants.

The tall blonde started speaking to Krum and motioning towards the Quidditch Pitch. Krum nodded resolutely at whatever his friend said. The blonde boy turned to leave but Krum turned towards Harry.

"My friend has suggested going flying and I haff heard you are a great seeker-" Krum stated and was interrupted by the other Durmstrang who started speaking fast Bulgarian at Krum.

Harry and Hermione could only watch awkwardly, neither of them understanding a word, as the two Durmstrang students argued before finally the blonde relented and sneered at Harry before he turned and began walking to the Durmstrang ship, clearly miffed about something.

"Forgive him," Krum started gruffly. "He is very passionate about the tournament and doesn't like vhen ve associated with the other schools. Vould you like to go flying with me?"

Harry couldn't believe Viktor Krum was actually asking him to go fly with him. Here he was talking to him as if they were equals, as if he was a fellow Quidditch player. Any other day he would have accepted it without second thought, but he wanted to spend today with Hermione. With the tournament coming up tomorrow, he knew that both of them needed to be in each other's company before they returned to training.

"He'd love to." It seemed as if Hermione had different plans as she had taken to answering for him.

"Perfect," Krum said with an excited expression breaking through his mask. "Vot do you say I see you sere in thirty minutes?" He motioned towards the Quidditch stadium.

"He'll be there." Hermione chirped happily before he could even answer… again.

Krum nodded to the both of them before he began walking towards the Durmstrang ship, Harry noticing how wobbly the Bulgarian walked. He turned towards Hermione with his eyebrows raised.

"What was that?" He asked, genuinely confused about why she acted that way.

"What?"

"You, telling Krum I'll go flying. I wanted to spend the day with you."

Hermione's face softened as she shot him a dazzling smile.

"Oh, Harry." She pecked him on the lips quickly before hugging him for a couple of seconds. "I love that you want to spend the day with me but I could see how much you wanted this. Besides, you haven't gone flying since the little scrimmage you had like a month ago so I know you must miss flying."

"I do!" He reassured her quickly, incredibly touched by how his girlfriend thought about him enough that she wanted him to go flying with Krum even though she hated to see him fly.

 _She doesn't hate it when you fly, she hates it when you are being a reckless idiot while flying, you prat!_ The voice that always chided him and sounded like Hermione berated him.

_Oh shut it will you!_

"I just… I know you wanted to spend the day just the two of us."

"Oh, please Harry. It'll only be a couple hours at most. Then you're mine for the rest of the day." She winked at him.

"Fine, two hours and then I'm yours." He said with a fond smile.

"Good." She replied matter of factly, though her mask was broken by a smile tugging at her lips. "So what do you say you head off for your broom while I go find Lavender and Parvati. I'm sure they'll want to watch you beat the best seeker in the world." She grabbed his arm and started dragging him towards the castle.

"If you think I will beat Krum I'm sad to say you're mistaken." He said amusedly.

"I have faith that you'll beat him." She said matter-of-factly without skipping a beat.

"How can you be so sure?" He asked, completely befuddled by her extreme conviction.

"I just know it, Harry. Trust me on this." She said as they entered the empty entrance to the castle.

"But Krum is the best seeker in the world, how do you expect me to be-"

He couldn't say any more as Hermione pinned him to the wall in a flash and started passionately kissing him.

After a couple moments Hermione pulled back, leaving him panting as he recovered from that attack.

"I just found a new way to shut you up." She winked at him before grabbing his arm and dragging him once more to the Gryffindor common room, a smile plastered on his face as he mentally promised himself to make sure Hermione shuts him up constantly.

Thirty minutes later Harry was entering the pitch as Hermione, Lavender, and Parvati (and pretty much all of Gryffindor) were making their way to the stands. He spotted Krum waiting for him in the middle of the field with a matching Firebolt on his hand.

He slowly made his way to him and once he finally reached him, he spotted that Krum was holding a snitch in his other hand.

"To make things interesting." He said as he showed it to him, spotting the lingering gaze he had given.

"Oh, I think you'll beat me easily." Harry said awkwardly, still not believing that Krum considered him a rival.

"I vouldn't be so sure. I've heard you are the best seeker here, yes?"

"I'm pretty good. Cedric, the Hogwarts Champion, he's way better than me though. Cho, his girlfriend, she isn't far behind him."

"Vell then, ve shall see vot you're made of, Potter." He said with a smirk. "I've actually been looking for a challenge recently."

"I'll do my best to challenge you then." He said with a grin of his own.

And with that, they were off.

The next two hours went past incredibly quickly for Harry's taste.

Krum was amazing on the broom, he'd never watched a more gifted flier and he was truly honoured by how Krum had invited him. He had also never seen someone as amazing as finding the snitch as him, he seemed to have eyes of an eagle, attentive of every small movement.

But he was surprised by how well he was doing himself. Over the past two hours, they had had ten different rounds of searching for the snitch. Krum had caught it six times and Harry, surprising himself, had managed to keep up and caught it four times. He couldn't believe he was doing this well

He also didn't realize how much he had missed this. He missed the wind crashing against him as he flew. He missed the adrenaline, the thrill of the chase, as he pursued the snitch. He missed the feeling of being under pressure, constantly having to be on the move and trying to find the snitch. He absolutely missed how he could be flying around and then, out of the blue, he could hear Hermione's voice, shouting at him, cheering him on. If he was honest with himself, there was no better feeling in the world than when Hermione cheered him on.

He missed flying. He felt at home midair like nothing could beat him. Like he could-

He paused at where his thoughts were leading him.

He felt like he could outfly a dragon.

Harry stopped mid-air. The quest for the snitch paused as his mind started delving into this new idea forming in his brain.

_What if I use my broom for the task?_

_Hermione would hate the idea! You know how much she hates flying!_

_She already hates the plan we have right now, we have nothing to lose in trying._

_You don't even know if they'll allow you to enter a broom!_

_The judges only said I will have to enter blindly. They said nothing about not allowing brooms._

_Yeah, but you left in the middle of their explanation. What if you missed an important rule._

Harry groaned internally, hoping he hadn't. Flying was such a brilliant idea, he had no idea how he didn't think of it before. It was definitely better than his current plan, and the Firebolt was fast enough to outfly a dragon… right?

He was snapped out of his contemplation when he saw Krum flying towards him, proudly holding the snitch in his right hand. He looked around and only just noticed how the stands were filled with loads of students (from all three schools) and even some teachers who went there to watch the two champions fly.

"You looked a little lost there, Potter." The Durmstrang observed when he reached him.

"Right. Sorry. I guess I just got stuck thinking about the task." He said with an apologetic shrug.

"Ah yes. At least ve are allowed a vand. Facing a dragon empty handed is as close to suicide as possible." Krum said gruffly, a scowl transforming his jubilant face.

_So only a wand. Fuck!_

"Yeah…" He trailed off as he continued thinking about the task and the new idea that had popped into his mind. "Come on." He said as he began flying slowly towards the locker rooms, not wanting to be on the spotlight with everyone watching him right now. Krum followed and flew by his side, keeping with his slow pace.

"Do you haff plan yet? For dragon?" The older boy asked him.

"Yes. No. I'm working on it." He sighed, the thought of using a broom still on his forefront. "What about you?"

"Yes." He replied with his usual gravelly voice. "I already haff my plan, I just need to practice. I'm going to do so now, flying helps clearing my mind and relaxing me before I haff to focus on important things."

"I know how you feel." He replied absently.

 _So Krum only knows about the dragons for less than a day and he already has a plan!? You really are amazing, Potter. Truly remarkable_.

The two continued flying, Harry still engrossed in his thoughts about the first task. He saw McGonagall turn to address the myriad of students who had been watching but he paid no mind to whatever she said, instead opting to pay attention to his landing as his feet touched the ground and began walking towards the locker room.

"Harry!" A shout snapped him out of his thoughts, so he was extremely surprised when he felt Hermione kiss him lingeringly.

After she pulled back, Harry saw her eyes dart towards Krum's and she immediately blushed.

"Err… would you mind keeping this quiet? We haven't exactly gone public." She pleaded while looking at the ground.

"Of course," The Bulgarian replied and Harry could've sworn it was in a slightly more stiff tone than before. Krum towards Harry and once again extended his hand. "It vos great flying vith you, Harry Potter. You are really great flyer."

"Thanks," Harry replied as he shook the Durmstrang champion's hand. "You were brilliant out there too."

Krum gave him a curt nod, before looking at the three girls, giving them a small bow before he exited the locker room.

"Hey you," He finally greeted his girlfriend.

"Must you always be so crazy while playing Quidditch?" She berated him while looking him over, for injuries most likely.

"You should've seen her while you were flying." Parvati said with an amused smile.

"Yeah, every time you pulled off one of your amazing stunts, she gripped her face in fear as she kept muttering about how stupid you were."

Hermione turned and glared back to the girls before she turned back to Harry.

"How did you know we were going to be here?" He asked the three girls.

"Oh, honestly!" Hermione muttered while she began analyzing Harry again.

Harry cast a questioning eyebrow at Lavender who gave an unladylike snort. "What she means is that you're really predictable. She had us following her to the locker rooms even before you started flying here."

He raised his eyebrows in an amused manner at Hermione, who just gave him a small grin after she was done making sure he was unharmed.

"Your two hours are up, Mr Potter. Does that mean you're mine now?"

"I'm always yours, Hermione." He said softly, putting his arms around her back as he leaned in to kiss her tenderly, eliciting two identical "Awwww!" from both girls.

"You're so cheesy, Potter." She said a little out of breath as she beamed at him.

Harry honestly didn't consider himself cheesy, he just said what he meant. What he knew to be true. He'd been Hermione Granger's for a long time now.

"You love me for it." He said, opting not to explain to her how he wasn't in fact being cheesy. She rolled her eyes at him fondly and swatted his arm playfully.

"I have to talk to you." He said more seriously now. "About the tournament."

"We'll leave you two to it." Parvati said before walking away with Lavender, leaving them alone as they exited towards the castle.

"What is it?" She asked, adopting a concerned tone.

"I have an idea… you're not going to like it though." He said as he sat down in one of the benches

"What is it?" She said adapting a cautious, neutral tone, as she remained standing up.

"I… err… I use my broom and… outfly the dragon..?" He said, not really thinking he would sound this stupid outloud.

Hermione looked at him and he was sure she was about to explode at him and call him an idiot. But she seemed to stop for a moment before she began pacing. Harry could only watch as she walked back and forth for a few minutes, before finally her shoulders sagged and she dropped her head.

"I think you're right." She said in a quiet voice.

"Huh?" Harry asked, not really sure if he was hearing right.

She turned to look at him, defeat clear on her face. "I hate this plan. I hate the thought of you using a broom to try to outfly a dragon. But this is the best plan we have. You wouldn't stand a chance on the ground, at least in the air you have your Firebolt which is incredibly fast. You being a great flyer also helps a lot. So yes," Her shoulders sagged again. "This is the best plan we can come up with."

This wasn't what Harry was expecting, not at all. He expected her to at least argue that it was a bad plan, maybe even shout her head off about how much of a moron he was. He didn't expect her to agree with a plan that even he thought was completely bonkers.

"Well… there's just one problem with using a broom." She looked up at him with a questioning gaze so he continued. "Well, according to Krum we can only bring our wands so I don't know how I'm going to get a broom."

Hermione began pacing again.

"Hmmm, you're right. I could bring it with me to wherever the spectators will be and you could do it then. You'll need to practice, of course. You're really great with the spell by now but since it will be further away from you, it will be harder than anything you've done to date."

"Sorry, what? What spell?" He asked bewildered.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, honestly Harry! You're allowed a wand, so…"

"So…" Hermione stared at him with an expectant expression. "I got nothing." He gave up.

"The summoning charm, Harry!" Hermione huffed. "Honestly, this is why you should at least pay attention to the theory!"

"Is it possible?" He asked, ignoring her jabs at his study methods. "I thought that the summoning charm was only for summoning objects over a short range."

"It is possible." She said matter-of-factly. "It has to be relatively close by. It's not like you could summon it from your room to the Quidditch Pitch, but I think it should be close enough from wherever we'll be watching. They sold tickets for this, they have to give a good show, so they'll probably have us watch it live and nearby like you would watch a Quidditch game."

"Yeah, you're right."

"So, if we use the Quidditch stadium as a hypothetical substitute from wherever the task will take place, It should be just perfect for you to summon. But you need to practice, this isn't going to be easy."

"Right, ok. Let's start now!" He said as he quickly stood up, excited that they now had a plan he liked more than the last one.

"Wait!" Hermione suddenly shouted at him and he stopped immediately. She face palmed herself as she shook herself. "Idiots! All boys are idiots!" She muttered before she looked back up at Harry. "You're going to be summoning that broom from Merlin knows how many yards away and are expected to catch it with your hand."

"Yeah, what's the point?"

"The point is that you _at least_ need to wear your seeker gloves for some protection while we practice unless you want to face a Dragon with a broken wrist."

"My gloves are all the way over in my dorm!" He mock-whined. "Wouldn't it be best for us to go to Madam Pomfrey after this so that she can heal my wrist? I haven't visited all term now that I think about it. She might be missing me for all we know." He said cheekily, only causing Hermione to huff and glare at him.

"Seeker gloves! Now!" She said in a tone that brokered no argument.

"Can I get a kiss first?" He said, giving her the puppy eyes he knew always worked on her.

"No gloves, no kiss. Now, Potter!" She ordered him like a drill sergeant.

"Fine! Fine!" He pouted before stealing a kiss from her beautiful lips and immediately running towards the outside of the locker rooms.

"I'll get you for that, Potter!" She shouted at him while he ran. "You'll pay for that!"

Harry laughed when he reached the exit, suddenly an idea crossed his mind and he mounted his Firebolt and flew towards the window of his dorm room, not wanting to waste all the time it would take him to run up there.

As he was flying, searching for the Gryffindor tower, he once again internally repeated the promise he made to Hermione. The promise he had made to himself, really. It was his new mantra. It was what was going to make him come out alive tomorrow. It was what was going to make him beat this stupid tournament. It was what was going to help him win against the ever present threat of Voldemort.

 _I will always come back to you, Hermione Jane Granger_.


	19. The First Task

"Hey Harry," He heard a soft voice whisper as he felt warmth spread across his cheek where Hermione's lips kissed him. "Wake up. It's late."

"Uunnnngghh!" Harry eloquently replied as he groaned and moved away from her, burying his head deeper into the pillow, hoping she would let him sleep in.

Yesterday they had practiced his summoning charm for Merlin knows how many hours in the room, which had surprisingly managed to imitate the entire Quidditch Stadium. It was an extremely long and grueling process, but in the end he actually managed to do it.

After that, both returned to Gryffindor Tower and had a quick good night kiss assured that they were alone in the common room before they went to their respective dorms and went to sleep… or at least that was the plan.

As soon as Harry had laid in bed to sleep, he couldn't. All the feelings of fear he'd been trying to ignore, to push back, to suppress until they completely disappeared suddenly shot out, enveloping in fear and anxiety as he tried to sleep. Visions of every possible way the dragon would murder him tomorrow flooded his mind, leaving it restless and unable to sleep.

For there was no ignoring it anymore. No way to push those thoughts away and bottle them up. In less than 24 hours, he'd have to face a dragon with nothing more than a half-baked plan and a wand. It had been easy when he faced Quirrell, the basilisk, Sirius, the dementors, even a werewolf Lupin. He didn't have to face the anguishing wait, he didn't have time to create a plan and follow it, he didn't have to face weeks of visions of what would happen if he did something wrong.

He didn't know what he would face always and in a way, now he could make sense of the saying - ignorance is bliss. He just acted on instinct, letting his gut guide him through all his near death experiences and always managed to come out alive, even though it was mostly on pure luck.

This time, the knowledge of what might happen haunted him on a daily basis, and it was as worse as it had gotten yesterday. He spent what he felt was the whole night rolling around in his bed, trying and failing to fall asleep.

He didn't really know when it was that he finally fell asleep, but he could tell it was after dawn as the last thing he remembered was the small cracks of light entering the dorm through the window.

"Come on, Harry." She said gently again while nudging him. "We have History in thirty minutes."

"Ten more minutes!" He grumbled sleepily as he grabbed his pillow and placed it on top of him after moving further away from her, hoping to be out of her reach and to fall asleep again.

He immediately started drifting back to the realm of dreams as he absently heard Hermione give a deep sigh. He could've sworn that she had stood up and left, which was something that surprised him a lot. He heard the door shut and immediately relaxed.

_I'll be up in ten, I just need a little more sleep befo-_

He was slightly startled when he felt someone get on the bed and slowly crawl beside him before they started playing with his hair.

"Wake up, Harry." He heard Hermione's voice speak softly.

He immediately relaxed, recognizing it was Hermione's hand that was oh so softly stroking his hair, making him sleepier by the second. He slowly turned and leaned into her touch, he then felt her soft lips lightly place a soft lingering kiss on his cheek and smiled with his eyes still closed even as his heart rate started racing.

"Oh, no. I can't have you falling back to sleep. I'm not going to be late for History of Magic because of you. Wake up!" She said before he felt her hand pinching his bum.

Even though it wasn't really painful, Harry was so surprised by it that he shot up and scrambled out of bed, falling on his arse onto the floor of the empty dorm room. He couldn't believe Hermione had pinched his bum, it was the last thing he expected her to do.

Ever since they became a couple, he'd seen many more sides of her; flirty, passionate, mischievous, a combination of bossy and flirty. But he'd never seen _this_ Hermione before

He quickly got up and glared at his girlfriend who was giggling at him. _Giggling! Honestly!_

"I guess now I know how to wake you up." She said gleefully through her fits of laughter.

"Hermione! You pinched my arse!" He exclaimed in mock outrage as he rubbed his bum, he could feel his face heating up and he tried to fight the blush he knew was appearing on his face.

"Should you really be taking offence when you started this yesterday."

He felt his face get hot as he was reminded of what she was alluding too but he couldn't help the next words that escaped his mouth.

"But I didn't pinch you!"

His eyes grew wide as his words registered with him and crimson bloomed on her cheeks as well before she regained her composure and spoke up.

"Oh, hush! I don't think I pinched your cute little bum that hard so stop being such a cry baby about it." Hermione playfully rolled her eyes at him.

"You're going to pay for that." He grumbled as he mock glared at his girlfriend even as he tried to process her words… she had called his bum _little_ but also _cute_. He had no idea what to make of the _little_ aspect and the cute… he didn't even know how to wrap his mind around the idea that Hermione had ever paid attention to that particular part of his anatomy.

He never knew girls did that too!

Not Lee, nor the twins or any guy in the dorm had ever alluded to girls checking them out too. He thought it was just guys who did that whenever he heard some of them discussing girls.

His mind snapped back to reality as he heard her voice.

"I'd like to see you try." She said flirtatiously with a playful wink that made Harry's heart skip a beat even as he felt himself blush scarlet.

She shot up and walked towards Neville's empty bed, grabbed a tray she had laid on top of it. Harry stared dumbly at her, still half asleep, as she once again sat on top of his bed and gave him one of _those_ smiles that made everything better.

"I brought you breakfast, I didn't forget your coffee of course. You're grumpy without it and you need it… especially today." She shook her head. "Anyways, we have History in thirty minutes. Eat breakfast and…" She breathed in loudly and scrunched up her face. "And definitely brush and shower, you stink."

"Oh, I do?" He said in mock wonder as he raised his armpit and smelled it… it smelled horrible. "Do I really smell?" He added with a cheeky grin as he shoved his armpit towards Hermione who immediately recoiled away from him.

"Ugh! Gross! Don't you dare, Potter!" She threatened as she raised her wand at him. "Brush and shower! Now!"

"Fine fine…" He said in mock defeat as he grabbed his clothes from his trunk and headed to the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, after quickly brushing his teeth and an extremely short shower he was having a quick breakfast where Harry downed his coffee all in one go, he descended the stairs from the boys dorm room and entered the empty common room where Hermione was reading on their favorite couch. He silently made his way towards her and kissed the top of her head from behind the couch.

"Ready to go?" He asked as she sighed contently.

She hummed in agreement before she turned around, grabbed him by the tie and brought him in for a short yet passionate kiss. After a few seconds she pulled away, both were breathless as she looked at him tentatively.

"I actually want to talk to you before we go to History." She said hesitantly as she looked around the empty common room.

Harry gently dropped his book bag and vaulted over the couch, landing beside Hermione.

"What's up?" He asked as he turned to look at her, who was now facing him.

"Well…" She slowly grabbed one of his hands with both of hers and began soothing the back of it with one of her thumbs. "As you know, today's the first task." She said slowly, as if it hurt her to admit.

"Really? I didn't realize it?" He said sarcastically before the thought even reached his brain.

Hermione gave him a glare in response. "As I was saying, today's the first task and I guess it just really hit me last night that this is the first time I'm not going to be following you into one of your stupid adventures."

"Well… technically you didn't go down to the Chamber with me." He said, honestly not knowing why he did so.

"That doesn't count!" She said sternly. "Besides, you know I would've gone down there with you without any hesitation if I hadn't been petrified."

He squeezed her hand gently and gave her a small smile. "I know."

"Anyways," Hermione started after she smiled back at him. "This is the first time you'll truly go out there alone while I'm awake… and I hate that. I hate not being able to do anything to protect you. I hate that I can't be there by your side."

"Hermione, you've already-" He was silenced when she put a finger on his lips.

"I know. And I know there's nothing I can do to be there with you, so I'm not going to try. Besides, you need me for the plan, but I still don't have to like you going there alone." She removed the finger from his lips and reached into the pocket of her robes.

Hermione pulled out a silver chain that had a small locket in the shape of a hexagon. She extended the silver chain and he took it gently from her hands. He slowly turned the locket around and saw that it had a small drawing of a book leaning on a laying broom. Carefully he opened the locket and was surprised by what he saw.

Staring back at him was a picture of him and Hermione, the two of them were cuddled on the same couch they were sitting at right now. Picture Hermione was laying her head against his chest as she snuggled as close to him as possible while she was reading a book, looking closely Harry could spot that it was _Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland_ , one of the dozen books she had read to help him out. Picture Harry was just playing with Hermione's hair, his eyes closed as a smile slowly appeared on his face.

On the other side of the locket there was an incredibly familiar inscription.

_Books! And cleverness! There are more important things - friendship and bravery and…_

He turned to look at her and beamed at her.

"Do you like it? I hope you don't mind. I stayed up all night doing it an-mph!" He didn't let her continue as he showed her how much he appreciated this.

He snogged her senseless for a few minutes before he pulled back to catch his breath, only then noticing that he was half on top of her now. He blushed a little bit and slowly backed off.

"I love it, Hermione. Thank you so much." He said, his affection for her dripping from his voice.

"I'm glad you like it." She beamed at him. "The chain was my grandma's, she gave it to me when I was little and I always wore it, especially during my first two years here since I felt a bit homesick and missed my family constantly. After I got the time turner I stopped using it, since the two chains tangled a lot with each other, not to mention how they'd tangled in my hair and let's just say it wasn't fun."

"Last night I couldn't really sleep and I just thought about the chain. I mean… I can't be with you facing a dragon but I wanted you to know that you're not alone. I thought I'd give you something that will help you remember that. I spent a few hours charming the chain and creating the locket with the help of some of Lavender and Parvati's books on jewellery charms."

"I still felt the locket was missing something so I added the small inscription but it still was missing something. I went down to breakfast and spotted Colin. I asked him if he had any pictures of the two of us from second year, when he took pictures of us non-stop. Apparently, he took a picture of us last week. I was going to reprimand him for doing so but it was just so perfect that I couldn't. I also _politely_ asked him to give me the other pictures he has of us, and any future pictures he will snap." She finished with a sweet smile that Harry thought was a little bit too sweet.

"Hermione… I… I don't know what to say. I love it, I really do, but… wouldn't you rather keep the chain? It was your grandma's and I d-" Harry was once again interrupted by Hermione's mouth on his own.

"Don't." She said softly but firmly after she pulled back from the kiss. "I could have created a new chain and used it to make this, but I didn't. I _chose_ to use my grandmother's chain because, if you have it with you... it would be as if you always had a part of me with you, especially on days like today. And before you think that it might be an issue with her or she'd be cross with me, don't! My grandma loves me very much and she'd love you too. She'd not object to you having this chain, in fact, I think she'd agree with my decision so don't even start having any second thoughts. I know my grandma and I know what I'm doing, end of discussion." She said fiercely and then tenderly kissed him softly for a couple of seconds before parting and resting her forehead on his. "Besides, it's time you wear something that shows who your heart truly belongs to." She said cheekily

"You." He said intensely without a moment's hesitation looking directly into her eyes. She was speechless but her breath hitched and the way her eyes lit up was beautiful. He couldn't not kiss her.

So, he closed the distance between them and kissed her softly, never wanting to leave those lips. Those lips that never failed to bring him bliss. Those lips that never failed to make him feel like he could do anything. Those lips that belonged to the person he cared the most about.

"Thank you." He choked out when they separated, causing Hermione to beam at him.

He slowly grabbed the chain and hung it around his neck, dropping the locket underneath his shirt, grabbing it gently through it for a couple of seconds before letting it go and standing up.

"Shall we, my lady?" He asked as he extended his arm to help her up.

"We shall." She replied with a smile while she grabbed his hand and let him help her up.

He grabbed his book bag from behind the couch before the couple headed towards the history classroom.

The rest of the day went by in a blur, as Harry felt time passing faster and faster by the second. Before he knew it, History of Magic was over and they had Transfiguration before the task.

As he and Hermione were walking towards McGonagall's classroom, he suddenly remembered that the class would be cut early to have an early lunch that gives the students time to go to wherever they were going to go for the tournament.

He felt his heart racing as he realized that there was no stopping it now, the task would start in a couple of hours and he could do nothing but wait. He started fidgeting with his hands as he tried anything to take his mind off of the impending meeting with the dragon, knowing that being nervous would only be detrimental for when the task actually started.

It seemed as if Hermione had noticed his discomfort as she grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, but even that failed to appease him.

They reached the classroom before everyone else did, and just after he helped Hermione to her seat, Professor McGonagall entered the classroom and called out his name.

"Ah, Potter. You're here early. Good. Professor Dumbledore told me to tell you that you need to meet him at his office right now. He enjoys _Ice Mice_." She said in her usual stern demeanor. "You'll be able to see Miss Granger later at lunch, don't worry." She added when Harry turned to look at Hermione.

"Go, I'll see you later." She said with a reassuring smile.

"I'll see you later." He said while he reciprocated her smile before he left the classroom just as the other students were entering.

He walked in silence towards Dumbledore's office as he internally screamed at the world that seemed hell bent on reminding him about the tournament. Right now he wanted nothing more than to be in Transfiguration with Hermione instead of going to Dumbledore for whatever it was the Headmaster wanted from him.

After a few minutes he reached the entrance to Dumbledore's office, gave the password, ascended the stairs, and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Dumbledore's grandfatherly tone instructed.

Harry opened the door and stepped inside.

"Good morning, Headmaster." He said curtly as he began walking towards Dumbledore, who was intently staring out the window.

After a couple seconds of silence where Harry stood behind his chair, Dumbledore finally turned towards him. Harry had never seen the Professor look this old, for once Harry could actually see the old wizard behind the mask of the kind Headmaster.

"Ah, Harry." Dumbledore gave him a kind smile before chuckling lightly. "You need to shave, my friend." Harry chuckled a little bit at that as he touched his upper lip, feeling a small allotment of facial hair and mentally promising himself to have a quick shave before the task. "You know, sometimes I forget how much you've grown. Sometimes, I can't help but picture you as the small boy who entered the Great Hall for the first time those years ago."

Dumbledore slowly walked towards his chair and sat before stroking fawkes tenderly. Harry mirrored Dumbledore and sat down in front of him.

"It's unfair how sometimes life forces us to grow up when we're still far too young." The old man spoke while staring intently at the only picture frame that was on his desk.

"Sometimes we don't have a choice." He said bitterly, avoiding Dumbledore's gaze.

"It's alright to be scared, Harry." Dumbledore's soft voice spoke to him.

Harry gave a hollow snort at that. "Is this the part where you tell me how bravery is being afraid but still doing it anyways or some crap like that?" He said sarcastically still avoiding looking at the Headmaster.

"No, I'm afraid not." He said with a low chuckle. "Too overused for my taste." There was a small pause before the Headmaster spoke again. "I'm afraid, I cannot give you any words of comfort right now, Harry."

Harry turned to look at Dumbledore with a questioning look, barely biting back a retort about what a great pep talk this was turning out to be.

"Things are changing out there. Dark forces have been on the move ever since the beginning of the summer and your name coming out of the Goblet wasn't a coincidence, it wasn't a mistake. Whoever put your name in the Goblet did so with the intentions of injuring or killing you, and based on your visions of Voldemort, whatever it is, it is a part of a larger plan." Dumbledore turned to stare at him intensely. "Today is their first chance at doing so, you must keep your eyes open, Harry."

Harry nodded determinately and waited a second before speaking. "Sir, what is happening out there?"

The Headmaster once again stood up and walked towards one of his bookshelves where he stared at the sword of Gryffindor that was still displayed in a glass case as it had been ever since the end of his second year.

"Ever since you wrote to me about your nightmares, I've been in contact not just with Sirius and Remus, but also with a few old friends. A couple of weeks ago one of them contacted me and asked me to join him in Albania."

Something in Harry's mind suddenly clicked at that. "Voldemort! You told me last year he was hiding there!"

Dumbledore turned towards him. "Not anymore." He said with an intense look in his eyes. "I went there this past weekend, you may have noticed I was missing…" Harry didn't want to admit he hadn't so he decided to let the old man continue. "We searched as much as we could both days and didn't find anything. Voldemort is on the move."

"The house! The one I've told you about! Have you been able to find it?" He asked hopeful that it would be a lead.

"I'm afraid not. I've been searching for something based on your descriptions ever since you told me about it but haven't been able to find it, not in Albania nor in any countries near." The Headmaster said solemnly.

"So there's nothing we can do." Harry said quietly as his shoulders sagged.

"To try and find Voldemort, no… there isn't. The best thing we can do is make sure you make it out of this tournament alive. I have requested extra security for the event and it has been added in the form of more aurors and protection for the champions, unfortunately I don't think it will be any use as I don't expect Voldemort to show his face today."

There was an awkward silence as Harry looked at his lap before he spoke, turning towards Dumbledore.

"Sir, you told me last year that you knew Voldemort was in Albania…" Harry started hesitantly

"Yes I did, Harry."

"Well… if you knew he was there. Why not do anything to try and kill him."

Dumbledore gave a deep sigh before speaking. "I'm afraid you're still not ready for this Harry." He said patronizingly. "I will tell you, in due time. I just need you to trust me right now."

"But professor!" Harry blurted out as he stood. "With Voldemort on the move and him after me, don't you think I should be brought into the fold!"

"Harry, we still don't know if Voldemort can enter your mind like you can enter his. If I tell you about my plans and he manages to break into your mind, it would be catastrophic." Dumbledore said calmly. "I need you to trust me, ok?"

Harry slumped down on his chair as his head dropped. As much as he wanted to argue against Dumbledore… as much as he wanted to know what Dumbledore was doing… he knew that the Headmaster was right. With his connection to Voldemort… he was a liability at best.

Harry was brought out from his thoughts when suddenly the fireplace burst in green flames and Sirius came out.

"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed as he stood up and rushed towards his godfather who enveloped him in a tight hug.

"If it isn't Gryffindor's champion!" Sirius cheerfully spoke while the two were hugging

"Right on time, I see Sirius." Dumbledore spoke in his grandfatherly voice as the fireplace burst in green flames once more and Remus stepped out.

"Remus!" Harry hugged his pseudo-uncle as soon as Sirius let him go from their hug.

"Hello, Harry." Lupin said pleasantly as he ruffled his hair.

"Hey! Only I get to do that!" Declared Sirius as he also started ruffling his hair.

"You wish Padfoot." Lupin said mischievously as he continued messing his hair up.

"Alright stop!" Harry cried as he stepped back from the embrace. "My hair is messy enough without you two messing it up for me!" He started fixing his now extremely chaotic hair.

"What? So now Hermione is the only one that can mess with your hair?" Sirius exclaimed with an impish smile.

"What are you talking about?" Harry deflected nervously as he played with the chain of the locket on his neck.

"Should we call her here and let her snog your brains out." Sirius said knowingly.

"You… I… she… How!?"

Sirius just looked behind him and winked, making Harry turn around immediately and stared wide eyed at a chuckling Dumbledore.

"You! You told them! But… how!? Why!?"

Dumbledore just winked at him. "I'll leave you three alone, now." And with that, the Headmaster slowly left the room.

"We're honestly hurt, Harry." Sirius said in mock hurt as he clenched his chest. "You didn't tell us about you and Hermione. After all the help we gave you. After all the moral support we offered and bets we made."

"Oh shut up!" Harry exclaimed grumpily before punching his godfather on the arm.

"So when will we see Miss Granger again? I only want to make sure you're treating her properly, I promise." Sirius said while making puppy eyes at him.

Remus rolled his eyes at the other Marauder. "Ignore him, Harry. How are you feeling?" He asked softly.

"As well as you can be when you're about to face a dragon." He chuckled awkwardly but Sirius and Remus didn't.

"I still can't believe they're making you face a dragon!" Sirius mumbled angrily while Remus put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"You'll be here… right?" He asked tentatively.

"Of course, Harry. We'll be disguised of course since we're both still fugitives, but we'll be there." Remus said with a smile.

"But what about the extra security!? What if they catch you!? What if-" Harry began rambling but was stopped by Sirius placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Dumbledore's got that covered. Right now we need to focus on you." He said as he poked his chest with his finger. "So don't worry about us, we'll be fine."

"Shall we Padfoot?" Remus asked with a gleeful smile.

"I guess now it's as good a time as any, I suppose." Sirius said as he reached for his pocket and grabbed what looked like a tiny package, quickly enlarging it with his wand.

Sirius handed the package to Harry. "We thought you should wear something other than your school uniform, it really isn't dragon fighting material. There's only so much we could arrange on such short notice despite all the money in the Black vaults sadly." He finished with an awkward chuckle.

Harry tentatively opened the package and saw 'Potter' written in golden letters above a golden nine staring back at him. Harry quickly looked up and cast a questioning glance toward the two Marauders.

"Your father used to wear the number nine on his jersey during his Quidditch games. Remus and I thought he'd want you to continue on with his legacy." Sirius said with a soft smile.

Harry stared back down at the golden nine as he felt tears starting to well up in his eyes. Harry didn't know much about his father, people always told him he looked just like him but he never knew _who_ his father was. He only knew he was a Quidditch player thanks to Hermione and he knew he was a prankster thanks to Remus, but that was it. He was just incredibly touched at the fact that Sirius and Remus think he's worthy of following up with his legacy.

His fingers reverently traced the number as he inadvertently smiled realizing that he had quite unexpectedly received another wonderful new thing in the form of this information owing to which he could claim to know something new, something more about his father. It wasn't much, but it was enough for now. Nothing would ever be enough but maybe he'd keep learning bits and pieces regarding his parents like these forever.

After Hermione's gift, this was his second blessing of the day. Maybe he'd be alright after all.

"Thank you." Harry choked out as he gripped the jersey.

"This is not just for style," Sirius began mischievously for a few seconds while Harry analyzed his gift. "It comes equipped with some enchantments that are technically inside the tournament rules. We asked Dumbledore and he explicitly told us you may only be armed with your wand when you face the dragon, but said the tournament didn't say anything about what you wear."

Remus continued in his professor mode.

"First and foremost, the clothes come with a body temperature regulatory charm that will keep you warm in this awful weather. The clothes also have a really light armor enchantment. It won't help if the dragon… you know… hits you. But it can help protect you against some blows you can receive, while still keeping you agile. Honestly… we don't think it would be any help against a dragon but maybe it can work for the other two tasks."

"And finally, there are also some shoes that I'm sure will be better for running than the school shoes and a pair of professional Quidditch gloves, to protect your hands that would automatically fit them on being worn the first time. They will only fit you since they come up with special charms that will render them useless to anyone else as they'd recognise your touch by flesh memory, much like a golden snitch."

"There's also a wand holster Sirius forgot to mention. Once you use it once, it will be keyed to you so no one else will be able to remove your wand from it. It's not only for the tournament, but also for daily use since it's better keeping your wand there at all times." Remus lectured him.

"We know it's not much but-" Sirius began but Harry interrupted him.

"No. It's perfect. Thank you so much for this."

"You're welcome, Harry." Sirius beamed at him while Lupin gave a small awkward nod.

"There's also the plus side that it'll make you look amazing for your girlfriend." Sirius smirked at him.

"Yes, I'm sure Miss Granger will be very pleased with her boyfriend." Remus continued.

"Remus not you too!" He exclaimed at Lupin.

"Harry," Remus began solemnly as he looked intently at him. "I'm a Marauder. I can't help it. It's in my blood." He finished with a grin which made Harry roll his eyes.

"How did you even get this? Aren't you the two most wanted fugitives out there?" He questioned both Marauders.

"You'd be surprised at how big the wizarding black market truly is." Sirius told him with an amused expression. "How did you think we got the potion ingredients for the polyjuice and this." He said as he took out his wand.

"You better change, Harry." Remus spoke before Harry could come up with a retort. "Lunch starts in fifteen minutes and you need to eat."

"Right." He said as he nodded to himself and grabbed the package. "I'll see you two later?"

"We'll try to meet you after the task but can't promise anything. If we can't then we'll call you with the mirror later today."

"Ok." Harry agreed as he nodded absentmindedly.

"Good luck, Harry." Both men chorused.

"Thanks!" He replied just as he was leaving Dumbledore's office.

_Ok, time to get ready…  
_

* * *

Hermione, Lavender, Parvati, and Neville were entering the Great Hall after they were dismissed from Transfiguration by Professor McGonagall. Hermione had never seen the Great Hall look as rowdy as it was now, not even before the big Quidditch games.

The Great Hall was jam packed with students who were talking extremely loudly. Some were sitting on top of the tables as they talked with their friends. Food was being thrown around, people were laughing, it was a mess. There were a couple of giant banners supporting the champions, although sadly, Hermione quickly spotted that none supported Harry.

Hermione put those thoughts out of her mind as she walked towards _their_ spot on the Gryffindor table, besides the Quidditch team. As soon as they reached their spot and sat down, she quickly realized that it was way more packed than usual as a bunch of students surrounded the two Weasley beaters.

"Everyone calm down!" Fred exclaimed to the crowd.

"We'll take your bets in a second, we just need a small break, ok?" George yelled out just after his brother.

The crows grumbled but quickly scattered away towards their respective tables.

"You're taking bets on this!?" Hermione couldn't help but berate the twins.

"Of course we are, Hermione." George said with a smile.

"It's a very profitable business. You should try it sometimes." Fred grinned at her.

"Besides… we take bets about _everything_." George finished with a wink.

"I can't believe you! What if something happens to the champions!? What if they get seriously hurt!? How can you be betting on their lives!?" She rambled on, her voice growing louder by the second.

"Merlin, Hermione!" Fred said, completely taken aback by her outburst.

"Calm down." George tried appeasing her.

"Look, why don't we ask him what he thinks about it, huh?" Fred said while nodding to the entrance.

Hermione quickly looked and instantly spotted Harry, but she was surprised when he wasn't wearing his uniform from earlier. He was wearing a bright red, long sleeved jersey that had the Hogwarts shield on the left side of his chest and a golden lion on his left shoulder. The bright red colors slowly shifted to black on the four edges of the jersey. He was also donning a pair of athletic black pants that fit him nicely and what looked like red and golden colored running shoes.

All in all, Hermione couldn't help but gawk at her boyfriend. The messy hair just completed that look he always had before Quidditch games. The look that never failed to make her go weak in the knees.

"Where did you get that!?" She asked with astonishment, trying to fight the blush that had begun to form as he took his seat beside her. She touched his upper lip that was bleeding lightly but Harry swatted her hand away and leaned in towards her.

"Oh, it's a gift from Moony and Padfoot." He whispered in her ear, his breath warm against her skin that made her insides flutter pleasantly. "It's not too much, is it?" He started nervously examining what he was wearing.

"It's perfect." She purred into his ear and felt him shiver beneath her. "I can't wait to steal that from you and use it at night." She added with a cheeky smile.

"Oi! You're not stealing this." He huffed as he clutched his jersey protectively.

"Oh, I definitely will." She winked at him.

There were a couple of moments of silence where she slowly returned to the real world, the real world where Harry would be facing a dragon soon. She grabbed a plate and filled it up with as much food as possible.

"Here you go." She said as she put it in front of him. "You need to eat."

"I'm not really that hungry." Harry said as he tried to dismiss her and give her the food.

"Harry… please." She asked him earnestly.

Her boyfriend gave a deep sigh before he nodded and began to slowly eat. Lunch went by pretty quickly after that, Hermione trying her best to make Harry eat but he didn't really seem up for it, not that she could really blame him. The five teens were relatively quiet as the chaos around them ensued, with Fred and George once again taking bets. Hermione had half a mind to try and berate them once more for it but opted not to, wanting to appreciate these last few moments she had with Harry.

Throughout lunch, the couple had their hands intertwined as they gently leaned on each other from time to time. Even though neither said a word, Hermione knew that each other's presence was enough to comfort them both in these last few minutes. She also managed to spot the silver chain around his neck which made her heart flutter. _Even after changing his clothes he kept the locket on!_ Merlin, she wanted to snog his brains out so badly just for that.

"Stay still for a second." Hermione said as she remembered something.

Harry turned to give her a questioning look but he didn't move as she pulled out her wand and cast a sticking curse on the locket. As soon as the spell was done, Harry tried to pull on the chain that was stuck to his skin before smirking at her.

"Is this your way of trying to put a collar on me, Hermione?" He said cheekily in a voice only loud enough for her to listen to thanks to the chaos around them.

Hermione immediately flushed at that.

"No! Not at all! I just- with the task-" She stopped as Harry began laughing at her. "You prat!" She slapped his shoulder which only made him laugh more. "It's so that you don't lose it during the task you idiot!" She huffed at her still chuckling boyfriend.

"You look so cute when you're flustered." He said with a cheeky smile that only made her flush even more.

Before she could come up with a retort, she was interrupted when Professor McGonagall appeared behind them and cleared her throat.

"Come on, Potter. It's time." She said solemnly.

Hermione looked around and saw how each champion was being escorted out by a member of the staff.

"But the task doesn't start until two hours!" Hermione exclaimed, completely forgetting for a moment that she was talking to a teacher.

"Yes, Miss Granger. But the champions are going to have to do some initial interviews for various news outlets before the task begins and they're needed now." Professor McGonagall told her understandingly.

"I guess this is it, huh?" He said as he turned towards her and she saw Professor McGonagall give them a bit of space.

"I guess it is." She said dejectedly as they both stood up.

For a moment they didn't move or speak, they just stared at each other.

"I don't want to go." He finally broke the silence with a quiet voice.

"I don't want you to go." She said with a similarly soft voice.

Harry tentatively closed the distance between them and kissed her softly on the lips for a few moments before parting instead of deepening the kiss, a small whimper leaving her mouth as he did.

Not caring how most of the people in the Great Hall were gawking at them, not caring that Professor McGonagall was waiting, not caring that Harry was going to be late for the task she shut her mind off to everything but Harry and pulled him in for another kiss. Her arms went around him as she pulled him closer while kissing him lingeringly. The kiss wasn't heated or desperate, but it was a means to stall the inevitable. It was a gentle but loving kiss to remind Harry she trusted him and she knew that this won't be the last kiss they ever shared. He had to be back for more. She wouldn't even contemplate anything else.

She vaguely heard McGonagall clear her throat but ignored her. This was their moment and no one would ruin it if she had anything to say about it.

After about a minute she pulled back from a slightly dazed Harry and rested her forehead against his, gazing at him intensely, cupping his face as her fingers moved over his cheeks, unable to help herself. She had to keep touching him to keep herself calm.

"Come back to me, Harry James Potter. Don't you dare leave me." She whispered as she gripped his jersey tightly and her lip trembled slightly.

"Well… if you put it that way." He said with a cheeky smile but his expression immediately changed when he noticed her imploring look. "I promise." He said with a determination she had only seen a couple of times, easing her slightly.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat again. "We must really get going, Potter." She spoke in a hard tone.

Hermione felt Harry nod to her forehead before slowly stepping back, making her immediately miss the warmth it had brought her. Harry gave her a reassuring smile and reached out to cup her face as he kissed her forehead quickly before he turned around and began walking behind Professor McGonagall. She could only stare and watch as Harry slowly left her, the ghost of his kisses still lingering on her mouth and skin; the way his hands had caressed her face as he held her still fresh on her mind and didn't stumble down onto the bench until he was finally out of the Great Hall.

As soon as he did though, the Great Hall exploded in excited murmurs and Hermione spotted Ginny Weasley storming out of the Great Hall unseen by most.

"FINALLY!" Fred called out as he sat in the seat just vacated by Harry.

"What!?" Hermione snapped at him, but the twin seemed undeterred as he kept grinning at her.

"Finally you two kissed! Half the school has been wondering if you were a couple for some weeks now. All we needed was that kiss to confirm it!"

"And now that you did," Continued George as he took the spot beside her. "We can finally reveal the winners of the bet!"

"Would you mind telling us when exactly you two became a couple?" Fred asked eagerly.

"Are you really asking me this now!?" She snapped at them.

"Yes!" Both twins chorused, unaffected by her ire.

"Fine! October 31st! Now leave me alone!" She exclaimed and turned back to her food as the twins left. She couldn't find the will to eat a single morsel and simply stared at her plate while she tried calming down about Harry, something the twins weren't helping with.

"He'll be fine, Hermione." Lavender spoke to her and she just nodded, not able to say more.

"I'm sure that the peo-" Parvati began but was interrupted by Fred's amplified voice from the podium where Dumbledore gave his announcements.

"Hello everyone!"

"We're here to reveal the results of the long awaited bet on when Harry Potter and Hermione Granger will get together!" George continued for his twin and immediately the Great Hall was filled with cheers.

 _Are they really doing this now!?_ Hermione mentally shouted as she spotted even the teachers paying attention.

"Now, we have received exclusive information." George started after the Great Hall had calmed down.

"Information straight from the source that claims the date when they began dating was…" Fred continued after his twin.

"Halloween!" Both twins chorused and Hermione heard a lot of groans.

"Now George, if you could please give me the winners of Halloween 1994…" Fred said with a wicked smile

"Of course dear brother," Hermione could see George's grin all the way from her seat. "Are you sure these are the right winners Fred?"

"Give me the list." Fred said and immediately snatched the piece of parchment from George's hands. "Our list of winners consists of Professor Trelawney! Gregory Goyle! Madam Pince! Lavender Brown! Dennis Creevey! Roger Davies! And Argus Filch!"

"We'll meet the winners after the first task so that we can give them their winnings from the pot! Remember, the bet for when Harry will propose to Hermione is still going! So you still have more chances to win!" George called out to the crowd.

"What!?" Hermione exclaimed as she stared horrified at the twins who just grinned back at her as they stepped away from the podium.

"Ignore them, Hermione." Parvati tried comforting her, which only resulted in a huff from her.

"Did you two also bet on that!?" Hermione snapped at her friends who just shifted nervously in their seats, making her give a deep sigh as she thumped her head against the table and groaned.

After a few seconds she looked back up. "I can't believe Professor Trelawney won!" Hermione grumbled to Lavender, Parvati, and Neville.

"Of course she did Hermione," Lavender said as if it were obvious. "She has the inner eye, how do you think she got to be the Divination Professor."

"By drinking her way into the position." Hermione mumbled mostly to herself.

"You can't call her a fraud after this." Lavender said smugly. "She wouldn't have been able to guess otherwise."

"So now Goyle too has the inner eye?" Hermione tried to point out the flaws in her friend's logic, hoping to make her realize how wrong she is.

"Goyle was just dumb luck, it's clear that Trelawney knew all along." Lavender finished in a dreamy tone that made Hermione want to puke. She'd never understand her friend's love for Divination.

"I'll be right back." Hermione said as she got up from the bench.

"Are you ok, Hermione? Harry's going to be fine, you know?" Lavender asked worriedly.

"I know, I just need to get something for Harry. I'll be back soon." Hermione said, hoping Lavender would get what she meant as she had told the girl their plan late last night.

It took a couple seconds, but realization finally dawned on her and she smiled at her. "Just remember you need to be here in half an hour since this is where McGonagall told the Gryffindors to meet her."

"Right," Hermione said as she nodded before she hastily walked out of the Great Hall. It took her about twenty five minutes, but she was finally back at her spot on the table, Harry's broom shrunken inside her pocket.

"You got it?" Lavender asked loudly as soon as she gracefully sat down.

"Shhhh!" Hermione shushed the girl as other Gryffindors began staring at her. She beckoned Lavender and Parvati to come closer. "Yes, I got it. It's shrunken inside my pocket but I'll enlarge it later for Harry."

Both girls nodded at her and the three pulled back simultaneously.

"So, did they explain how we'll get to the stadium when I was gone?" Hermione asked.

Professor McGonagall had used the transfiguration period to explain to them the logistics of the first task. She told them there was a stadium built on one of the mountains near the castle and that the teachers were going to help them with the transport there, but she didn't explain how.

"Nope, she hasn't returned since she left with Harry." Lavender said and Hermione turned to look at the entrance of the Great Hall, silently hoping Harry would magically come through it. She sighed and dropped her head, knowing it wasn't going to happen.

It was about ten minutes later that Professor McGonagall was leading all 73 Gryffindors out of the Great Hall and into an empty classroom nearby. She recognized it as the one she had taken Harry about a week ago and snogged his brains out. Only this time, there was a large brown cabinet in the middle of the classroom.

"This," Professor McGonagall instructed as every Gryffindor packed inside the classroom. "Is a vanishing cabinet. This one was created specifically for the tournament with a twin, which resides at the Gryffindor box in the stadium for the first task. What you will do is quite simple, you'll get in one by one, stay there for a few moments, and then proceed to step out to the Gryffindor box. There are specific seats with your name assigned, you will stay in those seats and won't change them with other people. Do I make myself clear?" She asked sternly.

After a collective yes, the Gryffindors were being slowly transported to the stadium, starting with the youngest. It took about ten minutes before it was Hermione's turn. She stepped inside the cabinet and stayed there for a few seconds before she finally decided it was time to come out.

She stepped outside the cabinet and into a really fancy skybox that looked as if it were slightly tilted downwards towards the stadium. On the edge of the box, there were about a hundred seats that all looked incredibly comfy and had a lot of space between the other seats. On the back of the box, near where she was, there were a load of tables filled with snacks, sweets, and refreshments.

Hermione tentatively made her way towards the edge, thankful that it didn't seem to have a glass pane between the box and the outside, and spotted the actual stadium where the champions would be at. It was huge, and not at all like what she expected and it seemed as if the stands were approximately 60 feet above the actual arena. The ground wasn't plain like she thought it was going to be. Instead, it was formed by giant rocks that formed a large, uneven quarry made purely of rocks of all different shapes and sizes. In the middle of the quarry, there was a small mountain where lay a nest full of eggs and amidst them she could spot a single golden egg.

She also spotted what looked like four camcorders (?) flying around the stadium as well four large walls throughout the arena which she realised would project what the camcorders were capturing. Her eyebrows shot up as she took the sight in front of her.

She looked out of the stadium and saw that it was already filled to the brim with witches and wizards, it seemed as if every single spot was bought off. Hermione internally seethed at every witch and wizard that paid to see this… this… _barbarity_!

There was an incredibly loud " _ **ROOAAR!**_ " that echoed throughout the empty stadium which made Hermione turn towards the direction of the dreaded noise, but she couldn't locate it's source. Of course, Hermione knew what it was, it was one of the dragons. And it finally truly dawned on her that Harry would be facing one of them, in there!

She felt her heart pumping in her chest as sweat began gathering on her palms. She started shaking at the hundreds of images of Harry being killed and felt her knees start giving up on her. She had been in many situations where Harry was in danger before, but none was as dangerous as this one; without her being besides him, and that was what scared her. That she would only be able to watch as Harry gets killed if something went wrong.

"Hey hey hey, easy girl." Lavender said softly as she reached over and put a comforting arm across Hermione's shoulders and tried steading the girl. Apparently, Lavender could see she was still shaking because the girl leaned in and whispered to her. "Harry needs you. You won't be able to help him if you don't stay calm. Come on, let's go find our seats." She let Lavender slowly guide her towards their seats as she tried calming down for Harry's sake.

Hermione, Lavender, and Parvati's seats were right at the edge and together, giving Hermione perfect view and access to watch one of the screens that would show Harry face off against the dragon. It was also perfect for Harry, so he could summon his broom since it didn't have to fly through the whole box for it to enter the stadium.

She could tell that Lavender and Parvati were doing their best to distract her but it wasn't working as the images of Harry's death as he faced a dragon kept playing on her mind, torturing her, as time seemed to pass incredibly slowly and the dragons kept roaring. Hermione tried controlling her breathing and calming down, but nothing seemed to help her in this state. She was brought out of her cogitation when Lavender literally shouted in her ear.

"Hermione look!" She pointed a finger towards the stadium

She quickly turned and saw one of the four camcorders flying towards the opening where she assumed the champions would emerge from. A few moments later, the camcorders were inside a large and incredibly large tent where the four champions and five judges were standing.

Hermione only had eyes for Harry, who looked even more frightened than her. He looked so small and out of place among the other three champions and was moving around nervously while trying not to look at the camcorder while his hand was nervously playing with the locket she gave him earlier today.

 _Oh, Harry!_ She couldn't keep a small sob from leaving her throat at seeing him like this. She'd always seen him looking extremely determined in their previous adventures, she'd never seen him looking as afraid as he was now and it broke her heart.

"Welcome everyone!" Ludo Bagman's loud voice soon thundered across the stadium and brought her out of her thoughts. "To the first task of the Triwizard Tournament!"

The stadium erupted in cheers and it made Hermione want to hex everyone who was cheering.

"Without wasting time, let me inform you about the exciting event we have organized for the first task. Today, our four young and brave champions will have to face a dragon each!" He gave a dramatic pause where the stadium began to murmur excitedly, but Bagman was clearly put off by the lack of reaction from the champions, but he continued nonetheless. "The task will require them to get past one and retrieve a golden egg from their nest!"

Once again the crowd cheered and once again Hermione was left shaking in fury at how the tournament organizers are handling feeding teens to dragons as nothing more than a game.

"Now!" Ludo continued after a couple of moments. "Our champions will pick out which dragon they'll face."

"Ladies first, Miss Delacour." Crouch said, his voice also amplified inside the stadium.

Hermione saw how Fleur gingerly placed her hand inside the small bag Crouch offered her and pulled out what Hermione recognized as a…

"Common Welsh Green!" Bagman cried out and everyone cheered.

"Mister Krum." Crouch said curtly as he moved towards the Durmstrang champion.

Krum unflinchingly put his hand inside the bag and recoiled a little before pulling out what Hermione was sure was a…

"Chinese Fireball! Ooooohh!" Bagman's voice hollered throughout the stadium.

"Mister Diggory." Crouch instructed the Hufflepuff and he slowly dipped his hand into the bag, pulling out a…

"Swedish Short-Snout!" Bagman declared, eliciting cheers from the crowd once again. "Which leave us with!" He seemed awfully delighted about what was about to come next.

"Potter." Crouch sneered at him as he basically shoved the bag in Harry's face.

Harry stopped playing with the locket, letting it drop to his chest as he slowly raised his extremely shaking hand towards the bag. Hermione heard many people around the stadium laugh at him and booing him, but she didn't care, she was only fully focused on Harry pulling out a…

"HUNGARIAN HORNTAIL!?" Hermione exclaimed in a panicked shriek that was overshadowed by Bagman's yell and the crowd's cheers.

"Excellent!" Bagman cried. "Now that the champions have chosen their dragons, we shall begin in a couple of minutes! Mister Diggory will go against the Swedish Short-Snout! Miss Delacour will follow up against the Common Welsh Green! After that Mister Krum will face the Chinese Fireball! And Mister Potter will conclude as he goes against the Hungarian Horntail!"

The crowd exploded once again as the camcorder flew out of the tent and once again towards the arena.

Hermione was left a shaking mess as the whole stadium around her seemed excited. She knew all about the Hungarian Horntail, she had read enough books about dragons to score an O in a N.E.W.T. exam specifically about them. As she had started reading about the specific breeds of dragons, Hermione had quickly dismissed the Hungarian Horntail as a possible dragon that Harry would face, it was just a ridiculous thought! Surely, the organizers wouldn't be stupid enough to have a fourteen year old face a Hungarian Horntail… right!? Apparently not.

The Hungarian Horntail was considered one of the most, if not the most, dangerous breeds of dragons. They were over fifty feet tall, with thick black scales with bronze horns and equally coloured spikes on its tail. They were also considered the most aggressive and vicious breed out there, which considering the average dragon's ferocity was saying a lot. They breathed out fire over an extremely long range and worst of all… they were known for being extremely fast flyers.

"Hermione… he's gonna be ok." Hermione vaguely heard Lavender soothe. "You'll see, he'll grab that egg, walk up to you and snog your brains out after giving you his jersey. He'll be ok, Hermione… he always is."

But Lavender's comforting words had no effect on her. She was shaking, her lip was quivering as she gripped the arms of the seat she was sitting on. But her eyes never left the arena where about thirty dragon handlers were slowly leading an incredibly large dragon with silvery blue scales, which could only be the Swedish Short-Snout towards a nest full of eggs.

As the dragon slowly entered the giant arena, the crowd was getting more rowdy and excited, people were even setting off magical fireworks which exploded above the arena. Everyone inside the Gryffindor box seemed to be on the edge of their seats, waiting for the event to start. Hermione could tell how Seamus and Dean were looking at the arena with excited expressions, but she also noticed how Neville, and surprisingly Ron, was looking green and even scared… though she was sure not even close to how she was.

She turned to Lavender and Parvati who were giving her reassuring smiles to try and calm her down, but she could tell that they were also incredibly worried about what was going to happen next.

"Settle down, settle down everyone!" Bagman's cheerful voice boomed as soon as all the dragon keepers had left the arena after they chained the dragon up near the nest of eggs. "The first task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to start!" The whole stadium erupted for a few moments. "Mister Diggory, if you would do us the honor…"

The whole stadium started chanting Cedric's name as the dragon slowly circled it's nest. Over the next thirteen minutes, Hermione watched an incredibly terrified Cedric face off against his dragon. The dragon didn't seem to pay him mind and didn't attack him, opting to stay near its eggs and send a few warning shots of fire towards Cedric. The only time Cedric tried to get near it, the dragon immediately flew upward in a threatening stance that made Cedric back off.

After several tries of distracting the dragon, Cedric finally managed to make the dragon move away from the eggs, transfiguring a rock as a large horse after his attempted dogs weren't enough to distract it. As soon as the dragon was far away, the Hufflepuff sprinted towards the egg just as the dragon finished eating the horse and looked back at its nest. The dragon rushed towards the Hufflepuff and sent a jot of bright blue flames that just managed to reach Cedric as he crossed the exit.

"Ooooh, that's gotta hurt! Excellent work from Mister Diggory!" Bagman's voice silenced the crowds and cheers.

It took a full team of dragon handlers another thirty minutes to extract the Swedish Short-Snout from the arena, replace the golden egg, and slowly lead the large Common Welsh Green inside the arena. It was a bit smaller than the Swedish Short-Snout, had bright green scales, and was really agile. During this time, the screens on the stadium replayed some key moments from Cedric's confrontation with the dragon.

"Miss Delacour, if you please…" Bagman's voice boomed after the dragon handlers had chained the Common Welsh Green and left.

The crowd started chanting Fleur's name a few moments before the Beauxbatons champion came out of the passage that led to the tent. Fleur was meticulous with her execution of the task. For the first few minutes she only observed the dragon, who was incredibly subdued and at most. She tested its boundaries and slowly got closer to it when she realized it was relatively safe to do so.

She abruptly stopped when she was fairly close to it and for the next few minutes, she seemed to use some sort of allure that sent the dragon to sleep after about five minutes.

"She's a Veela! I knew she was a Veela!" Hermione heard Ron exclaim from behind her, causing her to roll her eyes and shake her head as the Beauxbatons champion calmly walked over, took the golden egg while only a few meters away from the dragon, and proceeded to walk towards the exit, seemingly undisturbed by the dragon behind her.

"What an excellent strategy from Miss Delacour!" Bagman called out just before the crowd erupted.

After another thirty minutes, the largest dragon yet with bright scarlet scales and golden spikes around its face was moving around the arena as if she was getting used to the territory, the chain around its neck not restricting much of its movements around the arena.

As soon as Krum stepped out, he was on the move. Constantly running around the arena and sending spells at the dragon. The dragon and Krum partook in a long and dangerous conflict. Krum just nearly dodged dozens of blows from the dragon's tail and even more spouts of fire from the dragon while sending a bunch of curses towards it. As time went on, Hermione noticed how Krum was growing tired and she was sure that he was hurt after some of the stunts he pulled off, like vaulting over giant rocks and dropping from edges that had to be over ten feet tall.

It was only about ten minutes later, that Krum managed to hit the dragon in the eye, making it shriek out in pain while moving violently, destroying a couple of its eggs in the process. The dragon also hit the golden egg, making it crash on the other side of the arena. With the dragon blinded and incapacitated, Krum moved quickly through the stadium, grabbed the egg, and sprinted out before the dragon could recover.

"What an amazing performance by Mister Krum! A shame about those eggs though." Bagman's voice resounded throughout the whole stadium as everyone celebrated Krum's performance.

The next thirty minutes passed incredibly fast for Hermione's liking. Her leg was moving erratically, she had begun shaking again as the roars of the dragons echoed in her head while images of her dead boyfriend invaded her mind. She felt Lavender's hand soothing her back as Parvati was trying to say calming words to her, but nothing helped. In just a few minutes… it would be Harry who was going to face that.

She only got worse when the Hungarian Horntail entered the arena.

If the other dragons had been huge, this one was gigantic. It would easily tower over them and make them look like infants. Its giant bronze horns and spikes were clear, even from where she was seated. As soon as the dragon handlers left, the Hungarian Horntail started moving around the arena, occasionally flying and occasionally leaping off from rock to rock. It looked as if it was examining the arena as it moved around, the chain around its neck long enough for the dragon to explore the whole arena. The movements were incredibly quick yet surprisingly quiet relative to what she thought it would be.

"Hermione!" Lavender shouted from beside her, bringing her out from her dreadful thoughts. She turned to look at the girl who was looking at her expectantly. "The broom, Hermione!" Lavender pressed on, making Hermione quickly realize what she wanted.

As stealthily as she could, Hermione took out the tiny Firebolt from her pocket and whispered the charm to cancel the one previously cast over Harry's broom, returning it to its regular size, before gently placing it on the ground. Unfortunately, it seemed as if it didn't go unnoticed.

"Why do you have Harr-" Ron began with a subdued and genuinely curious tone that surprised Hermione, but was cut off by Neville hastily placing his hand on top of the redhead's mouth as Lavender scowled at Ron

Hermione didn't turn back to look at him, too busy staring at the dragon as she realised that she was now sat in a surprisingly quiet stadium. All the cheering and excitement was gone, nobody was cheering for Harry like they were cheering for the other champions. Instead, silence reigned supreme as it settled over the crowds like a thick blanket, the quiet made Hermione uneasy.

The sound of a voice however shattered the eerie quiet with the words she had been dreading to hear.

"And now, to finish it off… Harry Potter!"

* * *

As Harry moved out of the tent, the light from the outside blinded him completely.

The past two hours had been hell for him. Listening to Bagman's commentary and the sounds of dragons roaring and crowds cheering made him more nervous and terrified by the second. He was sure he spent most of the time playing with the locket Hermione gave him and honestly had no idea what he would've done if he didn't have it.

Now, as he was walking towards the arena, he actually felt way better than before. Even though he was still terrified to his core, he just wanted to get this over with. Waiting as he had to listen to the others compete had been a spine-chilling experience for him. But this, life or death situations, this he knew how to handle… having been in quite a few of them these past three years made it all easier.

"This is it Potter, do or die." Harry gulped after he spoke out loud.

As soon as his eyes acclimated to the blinding light, he stepped out into the arena. The arena was huge, composed of stones of different shapes and sizes, with a lot of them towering over him. The silence was deafening and the fact that he couldn't see the dragon anywhere only made him more tense. Looking up at the stands, he saw four giant walls that were projecting his face at different angles like muggle TV screens projected sports. He looked around and spotted the camcorders that were recording him.

He squared his shoulders with determination as he hesitantly moved away from the safety of the passageway and deeper into the arena. As he walked two steps away from the opening he got a view of the whole arena. It looked like a giant pit, the ground was disproportionate, always inclining up and down. It was all created with large rocks that made everything uneven, and at the center he spotted a slightly raised rock where he saw the golden egg.

Not seeing the Horntail he was about to take this as his opportunity to summon his broom but suddenly got an idea. Unholstering his wand, he aimed it at the center.

"Accio Golden Egg!" His shout echoed throughout the empty arena, but the egg didn't move.

"Damn! I was sure that would work!" He mumbled to himself as he toned out Bagman's commentary about how it was a good attempt and the crowd's sudden loud noises at-

_**CRASH!** _

A giant black tail with bronze spikes crashed a few meters beside him, making him move out of the way. He turned around and got a good look at the Horntail. It was even larger than he imagined it would be. The black beast in front of him terrified him enough to make him scatter away as it raised its tail once again and aimed it at where Harry was.

_**CRASH!** _

Harry just barely managed to move out of the way and quickly ran away from the vicious dragon that seemed to be hunting him. He vaulted over a couple of rocks as he tried escaping the Horntail that was suddenly flying towards him and sent a jet of fire at him. Noticing the fire was about to reach him, he jumped towards a boulder that was slightly ahead of him and managed to grab the ledge and duck behind it. Driven by some instinct he couldn't describe, he was climbing up the boulder and jumped onto the closest one which was just as tall.

Harry looked up and saw that the Horntail was right above him and its tail was making its way towards him at an incredible speed. Not knowing what to do, Harry just let go and fell down what must have been fifteen feet as the dragon's spiked tail crashed just where he had been a couple of seconds before.

He landed roughly on the ground and looked up to see the black demon send another spout of hot fire at him that he managed to dodge as he rolled out of the way quickly. The flames crashed against the rocks beside him, melting them quickly as they hit it with their sheer heat.

Harry moved with a speed he didn't know he had, barely avoiding the flames the dragon sent at him as he stood back up and started making his way towards the egg, not finding any moment to stop still and summon his firebolt.

Just as he was spotted a place close to where he started, he saw the Horntail send another large spout of fire which he promptly dodged, but landed just in the spot the dragon has aimed his tail at, hitting him roughly with it and sending him hurtling through the arena, making him crash against a large rock.

Harry tried to ignore the throbbing ache he felt on his ribs and the searing pain he felt just above his chest on the right side, where a large spike was buried at. He stood up and noticed the Horntail was taking its time by moving slowly towards him, he aimed his wand at the sky (slightly surprised he'd manage to hold on to it during the onslaught of attacks) and cried out.

"Accio Firebolt!"

In just a few seconds, he'd managed to spot the broomstick flying at him. After making sure that the dragon wasn't about to attack him he extended out his left arm and grabbed the firebolt, the thick padding of his new Quidditch gloves absorbing the impact way better than his old ones.

Seeing the Horntail was about to launch at him, he got on top of the broomstick in a flash and immediately flew up above. The Horntail flew at the same time as him until they were both above the stands but it's chain made sure it was stuck and not be able to reach him.

It tried sending a series of fire spouts at him but gave up quickly as he easily dodged as he rested for a moment on top of his broomstick. The dragon landed back on the ground and just moved around the arena, never taking its eyes off of him. Two camcorders were hovering close to him while the other two filmed the dragon on the ground.

Noticing the discomfort of the spike in his body, he roughly tore it out of his body before casting a charm that closed his injuries. He had learnt it after thinking back to his fight with the basilisk and remembering how the last time he fought a giant monster, he ended up being stabbed.

As soon as he got his breath back, he worked on a plan to get the egg, which he managed to do in a few seconds. He slowly flew down towards the Horntail, hoping to coax it up for long enough to speed down and steal the egg.

"Hermione's gonna kill me." He said as he baited the Horntail upwards.

It took him a couple of tries before the dragon finally moved enough for him to dive down and make his attempt to fetch the egg. Unfortunately, the dragon seemed to notice what he was doing as it roared at him and tried hitting him with his tail that he just managed to dodge just as he was about to reach for the golden egg.

The Horntail was absolutely furious now as it lunged at him and Harry once again sought refuge in the air. Only this time, the dragon was relentless, trying to fight the chain that was stopping it but to no avail. It was held back on down the ground and Harry saw how the dragon began to try and set fire to the chains that managed to resist it. It tried bashing the pole that held the chain with its tail. Thankfully the pole kept withstanding its attacks, but the dragon kept going furiously.

Harry was transfixed as he watched the Horntail battle against his chains for close to a minute during which he vaguely considered trying to go for the egg again but realized it was suicide, as the dragon was basically sitting on top of them. Suddenly, about half a dozen of dragon handlers entered the arena and tried to stop the dragon by shooting spells at it, only making it angrier.

The Horntail didn't hold back as it sent fire at the dragon handlers, all but one managed to avoid it as one quickly caught fire and started to scream and run around for a few moments before he dropped to the ground, still screaming and rolling as he was slowly burned alive. When the handlers got to relative safety, they tried again, but the dragon launched at them like it had launched at him earlier. Managing to bash it's tail against one of the dragon handlers, crushing him to death.

"Fuck!" Harry yelled as he ignored the now unprotected Golden Egg and flew directly towards the dragon.

"Oi!" He shouted as he flew in between the Horntail and two of the dragon handlers, just as the beast was about to lunge at them. "I'm right here!" He grabbed his wand and sent a barrage of reductor curses at it's head.

The Horntail gave a giant shriek as one managed to hit it near it's eye and it recoiled back. It seemed more furious than ever as it was moving around in pain while at the same time fighting against the chain with its claws as it was trying to yank its head away.

Harry noticed that the four that were left alive quickly ran away and towards the exit of the arena. He took a look at the corpse that had been bludgeoned by the dragon's tail and then to the other one that had been burnt alive, fighting back the images of _that_ man at the Quidditch World Cup. Just as he was about to look back at the dragon that was still screeching, Harry heard the last sound he wanted to hear at the moment.

_**CLANG!** _

He quickly turned and saw that while the dragon still had its collar on, the chain that had tethered it to the ground had been broken off and was sliding out of the grasp of the collar. Suddenly the whole stadium fell into a deafening silence in shock of what just happened as Harry was paralyzed in fear at the Horntail who was slowly realizing that it was free.

"HAAAAARRYYY!" Harry was broken out of his trance when he faintly managed to hear Hermione's agonized shriek from somewhere in the stands.

The stadium suddenly erupted in screams and yells but Harry wasn't paying attention to the crowd anymore as the Horntail suddenly lunged at him with its claws. Harry dived downwards, barely evading its sharp claws, and dashed forward, veering away from the blaze of fire the dragon had sent behind him. He thought about flying up but didn't want to risk losing the dragon's attention and have it attack the people in the stands, so he decided to stay in the arena, close to the ground, and to make sure the dragon never took its eyes off of him.

The only thing he could do now was buy some time and hopefully, the tournament organizers would do something. Otherwise…

Harry made a quick U-turn while still avoiding the dragon's fire and shot off towards the direction of the dragon, sending it a series of reductor curses to its face, hoping to hit its eyes again and blind the creature. The Horntail screeched as the spells hit its face, unfortunately Harry noticed none hit the target.

By this point he was incredibly close to the beast and it lunged at him with its claws one more, Harry ducking under them before shooting upwards. The Horntail made a move to bite him as he flew near its head, but he managed to narrowly avoid it and the spouts of fire the dragon shot at him after it failed to catch him with its teeth.

Harry flew above the stadium and just as the Horntail was starting to fly directly at him, he flung himself at it from above, firing more curses at the creature. He swerved from the blaze of flames the Horntail shot at him and evaded the other attacks from the dragon. He righted himself about the meters above the ground and began to fly away from the beast.

_**CRASH!** _

Harry felt how the Horntail's tail just barely managed to connect with him, pummeling him roughly as he was sent flying away. Harry managed to right himself atop his broom and stay flying, his body screaming at him. He felt extremely lightheaded and disoriented, his chest and ribs were painfully aching. He hugged them with one hand as he controlled the broom with the other one.

He was not able to take a moment to stop as the Horntail sent another jet of flames at him, he flew away from them as fast as he could while still hugging his ribs to him with the hand that was holding his wand. It was only after he managed to evade the dragon fire and got a couple of seconds to rest, he realized that the injury he had sloppily sealed earlier had opened up once again.

But he couldn't do anything about it as the Horntail once again lunged at him and he had to quickly move away. As he did so, a glimmer of hope burst in his chest as he spotted a group of about thirty dragon handlers rush into the arena and immediately began to shoot spells at the dragon, some which he had to evade as the dragon was incredibly close to him.

Harry heard the dragon shriek behind him but didn't stop in his attempts to evade it, as he continued flying while his body screamed at him to stop. It was a couple moments later that he didn't feel the Horntail's presence right behind him that he turned back. He saw the dragon trying to attack the large group of dragon keepers that had expanded all over the arena, while trying to dodge the spells they were shooting at it.

Harry was about to call it a day and let the Horntail handlers deal with the beast, until he saw how the Horntail narrowed on a lone, young dragon handler that looked terrified. Just before the dragon was about to send a spout of flames, Harry shot towards the dragon handler as fast as he could.

Just as the fire was about to hit the dragon handler, Harry managed to reach him and push him roughly out of the way.

" _ **FUCK!**_ " Harry screamed as he felt an incredibly painful burning feeling on his back where the dragon's flame managed to just hit him as he was making his escape.

Harry was flying mindlessly (completely ignoring his surroundings) while rolling in the air, trying to extinguish the flames before-

_**CRASH!** _

Harry was struck harder than before as the dragon's tail connected with him once more, sending him flying across the arena and landing roughly on the ground. He felt every part of his body throbbing with pain as he lay on the ground, trying to support himself to get up. He was light headed with a gut-wrenching pain in his head. Feeling something inside his mouth, he spit it onto the ground below him, only realizing it was blood as he saw the red liquid crash onto the ground, with a little bit of it lingering on his lip and chin.

He could vaguely hear the commotion around him, the shrieks from the dragon overpowering the screams from the dragon tamers. He wasn't sure of what was happening around only thing he was sure of was that he was going to die.

There was no way around it, he could barely move, much less continue running and flying like he was. So he just dropped to the ground completely, laying on his back, and stopped trying to support himself as he accepted his fate, images of Hermione flooding his mind. Every moment they had shared for the past three years, every hug, every kiss flashed before his eyes as a tear fell onto his left cheek, whether it was from the pain from his body or the pain of leaving Hermione he didn't know.

He only knew that he would never feel her lips on his again, he would never hear her lovely voice again, or see her pouring over a book while she scrunched her eyebrows and bit her lower lip in concentration... when she just looked like _pure_ Hermione.

"I'm sorry, Hermione." He choked out in a hoarse voice lower than a whisper as he tried picturing Hermione for the last time.

He waited.

And waited..

And waited...

And nothing happened.

Just as he was about to open his eyes to see what was going on, he felt a loud crash that shook the arena. He slowly turned around as he opened his eyes only to see the enormous black Hungarian Horntail unconscious in the arena as it was being surrounded by the dragon handlers. Now knowing he was safe, Harry threw himself on the ground again and allowed himself to relax.

 _Brilliant job, Potter. You were the only one that forced the dragon handlers to intervene in the task. Just amazing._ The voice in his head berated him as the adrenaline began leaving his system and the pain he felt started increasing exponentially.

"Harry!" He vaguely heard a familiar voice call his name as various people ran towards him. "Harry!" He heard the voice again as the person grabbed him by the shoulder and lightly shook him.

He opened his eyes only to stare at a barely familiar face.

"Charlie?" He choked out as he opened his eyes, watching the Weasley immediately relax in relief.

"Thank Merlin you're ok! Harry, the dragon, I'm sorry. It shouldn't have been able to free itself from th-"

"Charlie," He interrupted Charlie's ramblings. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I'm fine really."

Charlie breathed out a deep sigh as he lowered his head. After a couple seconds he chuckled out. "Mum's so gonna kill me when she hears about this."

Harry just awkwardly chuckled with Charlie, something which caused the pain in his chest to increase, as a bunch of other dragon keepers arrived at his side.

"We need to move him to the infirmary. He needs immediate attention." A gruff voice said.

"No!" Harry groaned as he coughed up more blood and spit it on the ground. He had already made a fool of himself by forcing the dragon handlers to intervene, the least he could do was finish the task properly. "The egg, I still need to retrieve it." He said as he pushed himself up.

"No! Harry stop!" Charlie said as he tried to help him when he crumbled under his own weight.

"Charlie, please just let me do this." He begged with the redhead who gave him a pleading expression before he finally sighed in defeat.

"Fine, but I'm helping you." Charlie lifted him up and slung his arm around his shoulder, keeping him standing.

"Weasley, you can't be serious!?" One of the other dragon keepers snapped at Charlie, who gave a deep sigh in response as he maintained Harry standing.

"Just bring the stretcher to the nest, I'll make sure he gets on it after he grabs the bloody egg." Charlie said sternly.

"Weasley!" The man threatened.

"Just do it." Charlie commanded as he started turning his back on the dragon handler and helped Harry towards the egg.

It was a really slow process and Harry limped towards the nest at a sedate pace, with Charlie helping him stay standing. Every step he took was harder than the last, it was a painfully gruesome process, but he knew he had to do it. He'd at least retrieve the bloody egg he came here for instead of looking like the most idiotic champion of the four.

After about three minutes of limping towards the nest, he finally arrived. He slowly kneeled down, causing his body to scream at him as he did so, and grabbed the egg with both hands. As soon as he did so the crowd applauded at him, something he really hated.

Not only were these the people that were trashing his name for being a champion in the tournament, but two people died. In Harry's opinion… this was the last time and place to be clapping and cheering.

"Come on," Charlie said as he helped him climb onto the stretcher after grabbing the egg from his hands and placing it on top of it.

Harry sat down on it and slowly transitioned towards laying down on top of it.

"Charlie…" He called out in a horse voice. "My broom?"

"I'll go get it and bring it to you, don't worry." The Weasley reassured him before nodding to the other dragon handlers that immediately began transporting him out of the arena and towards the tent the champions had been instructed to go when they finished the task.

Harry closed his eyes and grimaced as the pain continued to get worse, he had no idea how he had been able to move only just a few moments ago. Every second that passed made him feel worse, but he held off managing the pain as much as he could. After what felt like an eternity later, he finally heard another familiar voice.

"Dragons! Last year dementors and this year dragons! What's next!? Manticores!? Chimeras!? Lethifolds!?" Madam Pomfrey said in a disgusted tone. "Potter I'll need you to stay awake!" She snapped at him.

"Ughhhh!" Harry groaned out, hoping the mediwitch would take that as a yes.

He opened his eyes and saw that he was in his quarters inside the tent with Madam Pomfrey and another three mediwitches scanning him with magical spells. The four mediwitches looked grimly at whatever the analysis had shown them, Madam Pomfrey turned to the other three and gave them instructions Harry couldn't understand.

He closed his eyes as another pang of pain flowed through his body, making him grimace. A few moments later he heard Madam Pomfrey's voice once again.

"Here Potter, drink this. It will help with the pain." Madam Pomfrey said sternly.

Harry opened his eyes just at the right time to see Madam Pomfrey shoving a glass filled with some potion towards his mouth. He opened his mouth and drank the disgusting potion that Madam Pomfrey was giving him.

_This is gonna be a long day  
_

* * *

"What do you mean I can't see him!?" Hermione surprised herself when she bellowed at Professor McGonagall in front of all of Gryffindor.

The past twenty minutes had been complete hell for her, she couldn't name a worse experience in her life, not even when she found Harry's broken body the day of the Quidditch World Cup. She had to sit and watch as Harry faced, and was later pummeled by, the Hungarian Horntail. Her face hurt by how hard she was gripping it with her nails. Her eyes were burning from too much crying. Her throat was sore from all the yelling and screaming she had done. Her heart had been thumping roughly in her chest for the past half an hour and didn't seem to be stopping. She had the worst headache she'd ever had in her life, feeling as if her head was pulsating painfully.

But she didn't care, she only cared about Harry who she had had to watch as the dragon hit him with its tail three times and managed to burn him once. Since the beginning everything went wrong when the dragon caught Harry off guard, then he had managed to right himself and summon the bloody broom and had a crazy but decent enough plan that was working. And then the dragon broke the chain, causing her to give the loudest, most ear-piercing shriek she had ever given since she knew then that things would end badly. And it was worse as she had to watch up close thanks to the camcorders and the large projections on the stadium.

Harry had been able to last a few minutes against the dragon when it had been liberated from it's confinement. But in the end, Harry ended up exactly how her nightmares had depicted the task going on, he'd ended up on the ground after the dragon had battered him around.

As soon as the dragon had been subdued by the team of about thirty dragon handlers, she had been ready to run towards Harry, but Lavender had gripped her into place. She had let out a sob of relief when Harry got up, but it was quickly changed to worry at how weak and broken he seemed. And then the idiot had the audacity of going for the egg instead of directly to the infirmary!

Just as Harry had been let out of the arena, she was on her feet and was about to leave the Gryffindor box to rush towards wherever he was, only to be stopped by Professor McGonagall. And there she was ten minutes later, with Lavender and Parvati by her side, still arguing that she should be allowed to go and visit Harry.

Professor McGonagall looked like she was about to tell her to go back to her seat and not to argue with her, but before the professor could open her mouth a silvery phoenix flew towards the Deputy Headmistress.

"Minerva," Hermione gasped in surprise when she heard Dumbledore's grandfatherly voice come out of the patronus. "Would you please escort Miss Granger to Harry's room in the champion's tent? I'm sure both will need each other's presence right now."

Professor McGonagall huffed, cast as Patronus and whispered something to it before the silvery cat streaked out of the room. The Professor turned to look at Hermione sternly. "It looks like the Headmaster agrees with your assessment that you should be with Mr Potter."

"It seems that way." She said defiantly as she lifted her chin and looked at the Professor straight in the eyes.

"Very well then, if you would follow me." She said curtly.

"What about me!?" Hermione heard Ron's voice from behind her and fought all her sense to shout at the redhead for his audacity.

"Headmaster Dumbledore only allowed Miss Granger to visit Mr Potter, you'll have to wait until you are dismissed Weasley." Professor McGonagall said severely.

"What!?" Ron bellowed but Hermione paid him no mind as he turned towards her friends.

"Thank you two for backing me up." She said with a soft smile.

"Anytime, Hermione." Parvati beamed at her before hugging her.

"Tell Harry that we hope he's ok." Lavender said after Parvati stopped hugging Hermione and pulled her into a hug.

"I will." She smiled at her friends before turning to Professor McGonagall. "I'm ready." She said determinately and the Professor nodded at her, continuing to ignore Ron's outburst.

Over the course of the next ten minutes, Hermione was led by Professor McGonagall out of the stadium and towards a small tent. The professor stopped just outside the tent and opened the entrance.

"After you Miss Granger." She said curtly and Hermione nodded, stepping inside the tent.

Similar to the tent at the Quidditch World Cup, it was bigger on the inside. But unlike the tent at the Quidditch World Cup, this one was way bigger. It looked swanky, with a lot of furniture like chairs, tables (some filled with snacks and some empty), comfortable couches. It looked a lot like a large, comfortable waiting room.

The insides of the tent were decorated in scarlet colors that screamed Gryffindor to Hermione. Apart from the large living room she was currently at, which Hermione recognized as the place where the champions chose their dragon, she spotted four separate rooms. Taking a closer look at each door, she noticed that each had the name of a champion. Immediately singling out Harry's door, she began walking towards it only to be stopped by Professor McGonagall's voice.

"Miss Granger!" Hermione startled and stopped in place. "You need to wait here, they're still working on Mr Potter and wouldn't be wise to disturb them."

Hermione looked back at the Professor wanting to argue, but refrained herself and nodded instead. Professor McGonagall nodded back at her before leaving the tent, leaving her alone in the living room.

She sat down on the couch closest to Harry's bedroom and began to wait as she began drumming her fingers over her thighs. She still felt so tense after everything. Even though she knew logically that Harry was ok, she couldn't help that feeling she always felt when Harry was in the hospital. It was like her chest constricted against itself, making it harder to breathe. She had had to wait by Harry's bedside far too many times for her liking.

She tried convincing herself that Harry was ok, but nothing worked and she couldn't help it anymore as she started crying while sitting on the couch. It happened every time she waited by his bedside, it was when no one was around that she finally allowed herself to cry, to release the tension and all those intense feelings that had invaded her for the past two hours. As she cried, she finally allowed herself to release everything that had been overwhelming her for the past few weeks.

She had no idea how much time she had spent sobbing before finally someone called out to her.

"Miss Granger…" Hermione looked up and saw Madam Pomfrey looking at her in a concerned manner. "You can go in and see him now."

"Thank you." Hermione choked out as she wiped the tears from her face before she immediately rushed into the room.

He was wearing what looked similar to a hospital gown and was sleeping when she entered, he looked so peaceful and fine that it made her give out a sob of relief before she walked up to the side of his bed. She caressed his face for a moment and proceeded to press a lingering kiss on his cheek before she broke down again on top of him and cried in the crook of his neck.

After a couple of moments where she sensed she wasn't alone, she tried to control herself and stop crying. Hermione pulled away from him, loathing the fact that she was about to put some distance between them but the need to look at him far outweighed everything else she felt. Wiping her tears, she sat down on a chair that was beside his bed and grabbed his hand, gripping it tightly, as she needed to feel the warmth of his touch, craving for the comfort only he could provide her.

"How is he?" She asked Madam Pomfrey in a low voice.

"He's much better now. He had what you could expect after what he went through; 5 broken ribs and other broken bones on his back, hips, and legs, internal bleeding, a couple of concussions, he was stabbed with one of the spikes from the Horntail's tail which will leave a permanent scar, and he has second degree burns on his lower back, which will also leave scars." Madam Pomfrey said in a professional tone.

"Oh, Harry." Her voice came out broken as she gripped his hand harder.

"He'll be alright Miss Granger. I've given him pain potions, which he will need to continue taking for the next week and he will have those scars for the rest of his life, but apart from that he's perfectly fine. He should wake up in half an hour after the sleeping potion wears off." Madam Pomfrey opened a cabinet full of potions and grabbed one. She put a portion of it on a glass and handed it to her. "Drink it. It's a calming drought and you really need it right now Miss Granger."

Hermione reluctantly nodded and drank the potion before giving the matron back the empty glass. Madam Pomfrey grabbed it and nodded to herself before she closed the door and left the room. Hermione relaxed in her chair as she was gently running a finger on the back of Harry's hand. She finally took in the room before her, it was relatively large and had a couple of couches beside the cabinet of potions a little bit away from the bed. There was a projection of the highlights of the first task directly in front of Harry causing her to scowl at it. She also spotted a nightstand where Harry's torn and burnt jersey was folded underneath the golden egg.

She closed her eyes and tried to calm down, Harry's hand on hers helping a lot. She felt herself about to fall asleep but was brought out of her tance by a hoarse voice.

"Hermione…?" She quickly opened her eyes and looked at him. "Hermione, are you ok?" He said as he tried standing up and cupping her face.

"No! You don't get to fight a dragon and ask if I'm ok!" She snapped at him as she stood up. "I… I thought- I thought I lost you!" She broke down and once again cried into his shoulder. After a few moments she looked back up, not caring about the hot tears running down her cheeks, and poked him in the chest, but it wouldn't even move a feather for all the effort she put into it. "Don't you **ever** scare me like that again Harry James Potter!" She once again buried herself into the crook of his neck as Harry gently massaged her back.

"Should we save him?" Hermione heard a voice from behind and immediately tensed, quickly turning and seeing two strangers inside.

"Who are you!? What do you want!?" Hermione shouted at them as she grabbed her wand and trained it on them.

"Ooooh, she really is like Lily isn't she Moony?" One man snickered at the other one.

"Padfoot, she's clearly distressed and has a wand trained on us. For once in your life shut up!" The other man berated his companion and put his hands up in surrender. "Hermione, it's us. Padfoot and Moony. We're under the polyjuice potion for… obvious reasons." He said slowly to her.

"Professor?" Hermione asked as her brain caught up with the man's words and she lowered her wand.

"Hermione, I'm not your teacher anymore. I'll have to insist on you calling me Remus." He said kindly to her while slowly lowering his hands.

"I doubt that's ever going to happen." Harry said from behind her, causing her to return to her sit and grip his hand tightly.

"Well, she's gonna have to since she's snogging his nephew." The other man, who Hermione knew to be Sirius, smirked at her.

Hermione squeaked as she flushed red and buried her head onto Harry's shoulder, wishing a hole would open up in the ground and swallow her.

"How are you feeling Harry?" Hermione heard one of them ask, not really recognizing them with their current voices.

"I'm fine." She felt him shrug. There was a long silence before he finally spoke again, his voice similar to one of a scared little kid. "Those two dragon handlers… they died because of m-"

"Don't!" One of them snapped harshly at Harry, Hermione lifted her head from Harry and saw how the man that was supposed to be Sirius was collecting himself. "It's not your fault. It was their job and it's the organizers fault for creating a faulty system that allowed the dragon's chain to break! You could have died for Merlin's sake!"

"But if I had managed to retr-" He began again but this time it was Professor Lupin that interrupted him.

"Harry," He began in a calm but stern voice. "It wasn't your fault. It's the tournament's fault. It's the organizers fault. So don't you dare blame yourself for this." His voice was slowly rising as he continued. "We saw what you did out there, you saved those two dragon handlers and then you saved another one after that! Three people who would be dead are alive because of you!"

"But-"

Hermione gripped his hand tightly and shot him a death glare. "Don't you dare finish that sentence Harry James Potter!" She said in a low, stern tone.

Harry looked like he wanted to continue on and fight back but he just gave a deep sigh and slumped further on the bed. Hermione rested her head on the small of his neck as she leaned into him and tried to wash those insecurities away.

"Next time, we let her start." Sirius said to Professor Lupin.

"Agreed." Professor Lupin replied without taking his eyes off of Harry, and by extension her. "We're glad you're ok, Harry." He continued as he gave Harry a kind smile. "You should have seen Padfoot, he was scared out of his mind. Almost blew our cover that one." The other Marauder elbowed him for his comments.

"You were amazing out there, Harry. You had the worse dragon by far, none of the others attacked the champions as viciously as the Horntail attacked you. And yet you, the youngest champion, managed to hold your own against it. And that was even before you got the broom where you flew better than your father ever did!" Sirius finished with a giant smile and started laughing slightly.

"Thank you." Harry mumbled, Hermione knowing he was incredibly awkward when receiving praise.

"You were brilliant, Harry." She said and gave him a lingering kiss on the cheek, the most she was willing to do in front of the two Marauders.

"Ugh! Gross! Get a room you two!" Sirius exclaimed in mock-outrage as he made puking faces.

"Leave them alone, Padfoot." Professor Lupin berated his fellow marauder as he hit him on the arm. "Come on, we should get going before anyone else finds us here. Dumbledore told us we only had a couple of minutes."

"We'll talk to you later in the mirror Harry." Sirius said with a smile as he was about to leave the room but spotted the jersey folded on the nightstand beside the bed and moved towards it. "We'll get you a new one and send it to you later."

Harry thanked his godfather, who gave him a nod before he stepped out and left with Professor Lupin. Hermione closed her eyes, her head still on top of Harry's shoulder and basked on the moment of quiet between them. She felt Harry let out what she thought was a relieved sigh.

"Hermi-" Harry was interrupted as a whole caravan of people barged into the room.

The five judges, other three champions, and what looked like the four camcorders from the stadium entered the room without even knocking, startling both teens.

"Ah, Harry!" Ludo Bagman exclaimed cheerfully before looking at them. He cast a questioning look at Hermione but immediately ignored her. "Harry! You're finally awake! Good! Good!" Bagman turned toward the camcorders and flicked his wand, each flying towards a champion.

"After a lengthy discussion between the judges, it's finally time to reveal the points each champion earned for the tournament!" Bagman exclaimed in his showmanship-like manner, the cheers and yells from the stadium were so loud that they were clearly audible even in the room.

"Every champion did a fantastic job with this task, making the placements an incredibly hard decision to make." Bagman continued after the crowd's cheers stopped being audible in the tent. "On last place with 41 points is Cedric Diggory!" The crowd went crazy with cheers and yells, but Bagman continued. Who used incredibly advanced transfigurations to distract the dragon and retrieve the egg! Unfortunately, some of his initial transfigurations failed to do the job and the dragon managed to attack him just as he was exiting the arena."

This time, Bagman waited for the crowd to calm down before he continued. "In third place with 45 points is Viktor Krum! Who made great use of the conjunctivitis curse to blind the dragon and portrayed amazing physical fitness while facing off against the Chinese Fireball! Unfortunately his strategy resulted in the dragon smashing some of the real eggs."

After a couple moments the crowd calmed down once more. "In second place with 49 points we have Fleur Delacour! Who used an amazing strategy of sending the dragon to sleep before successfully retrieving the egg. Even though she did take the most time out of the four, she did retrieve the egg without any problems, making her get almost full marks.

At this Hermione turned to Harry, who stared back at her with widened eyes, clearly not believing what he had also figured out.

"And in first place with a full 50 points we have Harry Potter!" The stadium cheered the loudest for Harry, which made Hermione slightly annoyed at how these were the people who were bashing him only a few weeks ago. "Who not only showed off amazing flying skills and a physical tenacity that allowed him to avoid all of the dragons attacks. He also showed an incredible ability to improvise when the situation went wrong, and instead of grabbing the egg when the dragon handlers distracted the Horntail, he showed an impeccable moral fiber by not just saving one, not just saving two, but saving three dragon handlers.

"While Mr Potter was hurt during the event, it was because of his moral fiber and because of a small complication with the tournament preparations, not because of his own fault. Hence him getting full marks!"

This time it took a couple of minutes before the crowd finally calmed down.

"This will be all for the first task! We'll see you on February 24 for the second task!" He exclaimed before waving his wand and making the camcorders deactivate and left the room.

After it was only the ten of them without the camcorders filming them, Crouch motioned the other champion to get near Harry.

When they were all huddled up, Crouch started his explanation. "Very well, you have retrieved an egg each. This egg is critical for the second chapter as it has a clue inside of it to what the next chapter will be. If you do not solve this clue you will not be able to participate in the second task, so I suggest you do your best to solve it before then."

And with that Crouch curtly left the room, with Bagman following behind him.

"Come on," Dumbledore spoke to the other two headmasters in a serene voice after an awkward silence. "I'm sure the champions would like to have a small chat between themselves." Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime followed Dumbledore, the former looking disgusted at the fact that Krum would be staying while Madame Maxime looked genuinely curious about what Fleur was going to do.

"'Ow are you, 'Arry?" Fleur spoke as soon as the door closed.

She stood at the foot of the bed while Cedric and Krum each flanked Harry at either side of him.

"I'm fine." He almost shrugged.

"You were amazing." Cedric beamed at Harry.

"You saw me?" He asked the Hufflepuff and Fleur laughed at him before pointing towards where the projector was now showing a blue screen.

"Once they patched me up after the first task, I left the room just when Fleur entered the tent and we watched Krum's round in my room. After that Krum joined us and we watched you." Cedric continued for Fleur.

"You vere an amazing flyer, Potter." Krum said gruffly. "I can't belief I didn't think of using broom." He muttered under his breath, causing the champions to chuckle.

"You guys were amazing too." Harry said, earning three questioning eyebrows. "I know I didn't actually see you, but with Bagman's commentary and these new descriptions I can tell you were also great."

"Well, we 'ad help!" Fleur chirped in. "If you 'adn't told us about ze dragons we wouldn't 'ave been able to prepare."

"So what happens next?" Cedric asked after a short silence.

"Vat happens after every victory." Krum stated as if it was obvious, causing everyone to give him a questioning look. "Ve party!"

Harry and Cedric laughed at that while Fleur raised a questioning eyebrow at Krum.

"Do you zink you can keep up wiz me, Krum? Half-veela's are great at handling zeir alcohol." Fleur said with a teasing smirk.

"Ve vill see if you are able to live to your vord." Krum said with a grin.

"Harry can't party right now!" Hermione suddenly blurted out, making Harry give her a questioning look. "You're going to have to take potions for the pain, I've read that they don't mix well with alcohol." She said matter-of-factly.

"You've read about them?" Harry asked with an amused expression.

"You land in a hospital too often to the detriment of my sanity!" She snapped at him, still sore from what she just witnessed.

"Would it really be that bad if I drank a little bit of alc-" He started but stopped when she raised an eyebrow at him and turned to the others. "Yeah, sorry guys. Can't party today."

"Or in the next week." Hermione said under her breath.

"Or in the next week." Harry repeated without skipping a beat.

Cedric coughed something that sounded a lot like 'whipped' that made Fleur and Krum chuckle.

"Very vell then. Ve shall haff the party at a later date." Krum said as he nodded to Hermione.

"Before the Yule Ball would be for ze best." Fleur added.

"Well… I don't know about you two but we go on our break the 8th. That would be the perfect day for a party." Cedric offered.

"Then it is settled." Krum said loudly. "Ve shall haff our party on the 8th!"

"Would it just be the five of us?" Harry asked and Hermione's heart fluttered by how he immediately included her.

"Cho would also want to come." Cedric said with a smile.

"What about bringing close friends? Only a few, obviously not the whole castle" Hermione supplied nervously and everyone nodded.

"Excellent!" Cedric exclaimed as he looked towards the door. "My parents and Cho are probably curious about what's up with me by now so I should get going."

"Yes, so should I." Fleur said and Krum nodded in agreement to the three of them.

"Ve'll talk later." Krum told Harry before the Champions said their goodbyes and left the room

"Are you feeling better?" Harry asked, cupping her face and looking at what she assumed were her puffy eyes.

"I'm fine, Harry." She said as she rubbed her eyes. "It's you I'm worried about." She said softly.

"Me? Why? It's not like I faced a dragon or anything." He said with a teasing smile.

"Prat!" She said, swatting his arm without any heat into it as a smile crept across her face.

"Maybe… but I'm _your_ prat." Harry said tenderly, making Hermione's insides squirm in happiness at her boyfriend's words. "I'm sorry. I know you worry about me." He said in a serious tone as he avoided her eyes.

She cupped his face, turning it towards her and smiled. "Someone has to, Harry."

"Still… I hate seeing you worried. I don't want to see you like you've been these past couple of weeks." He said in a dejected tone.

"I promise you won't." She said as she removed her hand from his face and sought out his hand, giving it a squeeze.

Harry gently cupped her face and she leaned in, so he could kiss her softly. It was a gentle and comforting kiss for her, being able to feel him after everything that he had been through these past couple of hours. After a couple of moments they pulled back, leaning their foreheads on each other's and staring intently at their eyes.

She was so lost in those emeralds she loved that she didn't know how long they stayed there in silence just staring at each other. She also didn't realize that someone had entered the room until she heard someone clear their throats.

Hermione reluctantly separated from Harry and looked back, only to see Ron standing there awkwardly, looking incredibly pale. She immediately tensed in her seat and looked at Harry. She had thought about what she would do when Ron came back, like she knew he would, and had decided to just let Harry handle it and not interfere. She didn't want to sway Harry into whatever decision he ended up making. Hermione squeezed Harry's hand, signaling to him that she would stay out of it and he nodded, completely in sync with her.

"So…" Ron began as he fidgeted where he was standing. "Whoever put your name in the Goblet… I- I reckon they're trying to do you in." He said awkwardly.

"Finally caught on, have you?" Harry asked coldly. "Took you long enough."

The silence that followed was deafening as neither boy spoke for a few moments. Ron was just about to open his mouth when Harry spoke up.

"Is that all? Are you done?" Harry asked coldly.

"I… err… ummm…" Ron responded eloquently, clearly not expecting Harry to react like this.

"If you're done here just leave, we're busy." Harry said as he shifted in his bed, not even looking at Ron anymore.

"Can't we just go back to the way things were?" Ron surprised Hermione by his voice. It wasn't the accusatory snap she expected from him… it was dejected, broken even. Hermione felt a twinge of sadness for Ron that was quickly eliminated as she remembered what Harry had told her what Ron had said to him.

"No. That bridge has been burned for good. "Harry said in the same cold tone he had been using towards his first friend.

"Harry-" Ron pleaded but was cut off by Harry's monotone response.

"Leave." Hermione saw Harry's cold mask break for a second as he choked it out. "Just. Leave."

Ron looked like he wanted to say something more, but didn't. He could only drop his head and slowly leave the room, stopping at the door and taking one last lingering look at the two of them before he finally left.

"Are you ok, Harry?" She asked worriedly.

"Of course I'm ok." He said as he beamed at her, she noticed how his smile was genuine, even if it seemed to falter at first. "I have you."

"Always." Hermione said softly as she rested her head atop his shoulder once more, trying to bring him all the comfort she could.

They stayed there, with Hermione resting her Head on Harry's shoulder in a comfortable silence, no words needed to be said as they were both just basking in each other's presence. She closed her eyes and gave a deep sigh. Harry was here. He was alive. He was ok. And the first task was already done. And for now… that was enough for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! That was sooooo long! It just kept going and going lol! Thank you for continuing reading and reviewing! I love you all :)


	20. Kalon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before the chapter starts, I'd like to thank Matteo Caputto for the amazing cover art he did for the fic (Unfortunately it's only available on ffn). If you love this fic go to his profile on ffn and read the fics he's published there, his handle is also Matteo Caputto
> 
> Beta-Read By Aani

Harry shut off the water from the shower and lingered in place, unwilling to leave.

It had been a little under a week since the first task. A week in captivity. It seemed that Madam Pomfrey wasn't ready to just let him walk out of the infirmary and back into classes. She wanted him on bed rest for the next six days. Apparently, he couldn't be trusted to stay inside the Gryffindor dorms resting so he was moved to the infirmary. And Hermione had agreed! _The nerve of her, honestly!_

So far the past week, he'd stayed in the infirmary. Hermione spent with him all the time she could and had brought it upon herself to get him the notes and assignments of every class. Thankfully the week was almost done, he would go back to the welcoming freedom and to do things he really missed, like snuggling with his girlfriend and snogging her.

Harry let out a heavy sigh before he opened the door, grabbed the towel, and slowly moved towards the bench where he left his clothes while he dried himself with it. The limp he'd developed after his encounter with the dragon was mostly gone, Madam Pomfrey had said that it would take over a week, but Harry was still annoyed by it. It made him feel weak and frail, especially when all the other champions got out of the task mostly unscathed.

He stopped in front of the bench and looked at the mirror in front of him. As he had constantly done since his confrontation with Lupin, he analyzed himself in the mirror before his head dropped in shame.

_Merlin, I'm hideous._

And he really was. A large red scar created by three werewolf claws was displayed on his left shoulder to the top half of his left pectoral. There was also a scar tinged purple just above his elbow, a gift from the basilisk and the reason he had only worn long sleeved shirts after the events of the Chamber.

And those were just the old scars.

Courtesy of the dragon he had two new scars. Just above his right pectoral, he had a scar that was tinged orange, where the dragon's spike had impaled him. But in Harry's opinion, the worst offender was the extensive second degree burns on his lower back.

As he had constantly done for the past week, he tentatively touched the burns on his back only to flinch immediately, still unaccustomed to how that spot of his skin felt. He shivered unconsciously and shook his head before he finished drying himself off, taking special care while drying his lower back.

As soon as he was dressed and ready, he left the infirmary's shower and slowly walked towards his bed which was thankfully only a few feet away. As soon as he got into bed he felt himself drifting off into sleep. _Damn those stupid pain potions!_

Just as he felt himself start to drift off, he sensed someone sit on the edge of his bed before they started stroking his cheek lovingly.

"You really look so cute when sleeping." He heard Hermione's voice sigh contently.

"Not cuter than you, I'm afraid." He whispered as a smile tugged at his lips.

He opened his eyes and saw Hermione blushing furiously, something that made his smile turn into a self satisfied grin. He slowly shifted and grabbed the hand that was still on his cheek before giving it a soft kiss.

"How are you?" He asked his girlfriend who was still recovering from her blush.

"Not in the hospital." She huffed. "Honestly! It's my job to ask you that!" She gave him a mock glare before they both chuckled a bit.

He saw Hermione open her mouth, and knowing what she was about to ask he beat her to it.

"I'd be great if you would have broken me out of here like I've asked you for the past week." He said, rolling his eyes as he moved to sit up on the bed.

"And I've told you that you need to rest." She crossed her arms defensively.

"I could've rested in my dorm." He grumbled and she raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're leaving tomorrow morning so stop being such a cry baby about it." She said as she rolled her eyes in frustration.

He instinctively grabbed hold of her hand and rubbed his thumb on the back of it, immediately seeing Hermione calm down by his touch. They spent a couple moments in silence like that before he spoke up, something that he had on his mind now for a while.

"I want a break." He said solemnly.

Hermione immediately turned towards him, a hurt expression plastered on her face that made his chest constrict.

"What!?" She exclaimed as he noticed she started panicking.

It took a few moments for him to understand her reaction. _Idiot!_

"Nononono!" He immediately called out with a panicked tone as he squeezed her hand gently, trying to calm her down. "I didn't mean it like that!" Hermione immediately calmed down at this and he immediately hugged her. "There's no way I'm letting you leave me, Granger. Not when I finally have you." He whispered in her ear and felt her shiver in his arms.

He pulled back and smiled at her, holding on to both of her hands with his. He took in a deep breath before he continued.

"I just meant, after the whole tournament business and even with my training I started since July, I haven't really had time to rest. And well, I think we deserve some rest. Both of us." He said and raised his eyebrows pointedly looking at Hermione. "That means no training, no tournament talk, and no extra study for December."

"You mean the whole month of December!?" She cried out and he nodded, holding back his smile at his girlfriend's reaction. _How can she be this cute when she's panicking_. He laughed inwardly at that thought. "But Harry! We have midterms! We need to study! We need to practice for the practicals!"

Harry had completely forgotten about the midterms. Sure, he didn't have to take them since he was pretty much exempted this year with the condition that he… survived the death tournament, no biggie. But he had decided to keep going to classes and take the exams with Hermione in solidarity because he was her boyfriend. _And totally not because she might have hexed him if he proposed that idea_.

"Look. Exams end on the 8th, so in a week and a half. We can study for them, and I guess I'll join you. But you're not killing yourself over them like last year. Deal?" He stretched out his hand.

Hermione looked at it tentatively and he could tell that she really didn't want to give up studying for the rest of December.

"Ok," She started hesitantly. "But I can still try out my ideas with the egg. I've been researching the whole week about it and why it only screams and I think tha-" She was stopped from her ramblings when he covered her mouth with his hand.

"No tournament talk… or research." He said

"Mbgutf bhlarrie!" Her voice was heavily muffled by his hand.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that." He grinned at her and immediately felt his hand get wet by Hermione's tongue.

"Urghh!" He exclaimed as he tried cleaning his hand with the bed's sheets while Hermione smirked at him. "You can study for the midterms, but after they're finished no tournament talk and no extra studying until the term starts in January." He continued as soon as his hand was dry.

"But, Harry." She pleaded with an innocent tone as she ran a gentle finger over the shell of his ear and slowly traced the line of his jaw, making his heart race faster, especially when she gazed at him with a pleading look on her face, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling with mischief, in perfect contradiction to the innocence plastered across her face.

Merlin, she looked so beautiful that he lost himself in her eyes. After a couple moments his eyes darted towards her lips, something she was keenly aware of.

_No! She's tricking you, Potter! Stay strong! Don't fall prey to her schemes! Don't let her place you under her control!_

He looked up and lost himself in her chocolate gaze. Were they closer? They couldn't be… right? But she certainly felt closer. Was he getting closer to her? Was she getting closer to him? In a moment, they're faces were suddenly an inch away.

"So?" She asked, her voice soft, her tone laced with something he didn't quite understand.

_Don't give in! Beat it, Potter! Beat the witch's trap!_

"No tournament and no extra studying until…" His eyes once again darted towards her lips for a moment.

_January when the term starts!_

"After Christmas." He breathed out.

_You fool!_

Hermione shot him a dazzling smile, he only had half a second to see it before she rewarded him with a kiss that stole his breath away.

"That eager for an extra week of studying, huh?" He teased her as he recovered his mental faculties.

"Prat!" Hermione said, grabbing the pillow and smacking him playfully on the head with it before putting it back in place.

As she did so she looked at his nightstand and saw the salve for his scars he'd forgotten to hide in the drawer of his nightstand yesterday.

_Fuck!_

Twenty minutes after Ron had left the tent, Madam Pomfrey came by to see how he was doing and also to check up on Hermione. The matron had told Hermione she needed some rest and as soon as she left, Hermione had climbed on top of the bed and slept over the covers while Harry gently held her.

As she was sleeping, some dragon handlers, Charlie being one of them, came to visit Harry. Charlie had taken one look at Hermione and sent him a gentle smile, then sent a look his coworker's way as they began talking in hushed whispers mindful of the sleeping girl in their presence.

They apologized for the mistake they made by letting the dragon escape and thanked him profusely for saving their coworkers. Before the left they gave him that ointment to help with the scars. It wasn't going to get rid of it completely, but it would reduce it by a decent margin.

Apparently, there was a treatment for dragon fire. There had been for the past fifty years. But according to Charlie, Hogwarts hasn't updated its library in over a century, and so many of the things in the library aren't factual anymore or there's extra information you'll need to learn on your own by reading the books with new material.

He had applied the salve to himself every night and never told Hermione about it. Not only because he really didn't want to be the one to tell Hermione that her precious library isn't as accurate as she would want it to be… but because he didn't want to even talk about his scars with her.

"What is that?" Hermione asked curiously as she grabbed the ointment and analyzed it.

"Oh, nothing." He said dismissively as he snatched it out of her hands. "Just something for my treatment that's all." He mumbled and couldn't miss the raised eyebrow from his girlfriend.

Hermione seemed to analyze him while he tried to hide his face. This was the last thing he wanted, if he couldn't even see his scars without feeling disgusted, how could he expect Hermione to react any differently.

"Harry," Hermione called out to him and he didn't even have to look at her face to realize that she had understood what he meant by treatment. He looked up and saw she had a gentle expression on her face. "I don't care about your scars." She assured him softly yet firmly.

He just nodded, hoping it would placate her and she'd drop the topic.

"Take off your shirt." She said without missing a beat.

"W-what?" He stammered as he unconsciously backed away from her.

"Your shirt." She said sternly, in a tone that brokered no arguments.

"Hermio-" He tried pleading but Hermione interrupted him.

"Harry," She began with an unrelenting tone before taking a deep breath, calming herself down, and tentatively grabbing his hand. "Please… for me." She pleaded softly.

Harry dropped his head in shame, he really didn't want Hermione to see him like this. She had already seen the scar from Remus, but back then his body had been heavily bruised so it easily blended in. Now… she would see him for how he really was, and he was scared that she would react badly to him. But at the same time, he couldn't deny her anything… especially when she asked him like that.

He slowly removed his hand from hers, moved out of the covers and sat on the edge of the bed with her before he tentatively took off his shirt. He let it fall to the ground as he looked away from Hermione.

For a moment he didn't hear any reaction from her, he merely heard the sounds of her slightly shuffling as she sat beside him on the bed and he wanted a hole to appear and swallow him. He was so sure what Hermione was thinking. She thought of him as disgusting, hideous, repulsive… a _freak_. He just wanted to disappear so that he wouldn't have to look at the expression of pure revulsion he was sure Hermione had on her face.

His heart thudded in his chest as he prepared himself to watch her either walk away from him without giving him a second glance or run away from him as if horrified by his appearance.

He was mentally preparing himself to lose the one person he had loved, all because of his hideousness.

He has lost people before he reminded himself. His parents, Ron…. only a voice in his heart whispered he'd not likely survive losing Hermione. He was sure he was loved by his parents but he had no memories of them… and now all he would have of Hermione would be the memories of the times they spent together.

He would never hold her again. He would never feel her lips on his again. She would never tease him or make him laugh.

He would never feel whole again, for in these past few months he had irrevocably become hers. He had never known what it was to be happy, not truly until she had kissed him and he had felt alive for the first time ever as his heart had finally found what it yearned for so long, someone to claim him; someone he could claim in return and call as his own.

He was preparing himself for so much when the unexpected happened as he kept his eyes shut and willed himself not to cry.

But then he felt a gentle hand caress his lower back and realized that Hermione was applying the salve on his scar. Harry was about to turn around and look at Hermione but was stopped when he heard her firm and yet softly uttered command to stand still. He did as told and the longer he felt her ministrations, the cooling sensation of the salve applied with her careful fingertips, the more he felt himself relaxing under her touch.

Hermione was there, and even after seeing his scars she hadn't run away, or called him repulsive. She was there… just like she _always_ was.

He looked at her as she finally was done with his back and saw that she was giving him a smile, but he also couldn't fail but notice the tears in her eyes. Before he could move to wipe them away, she leaned into him, kissing him tenderly for a few moments before parting and backing away, resuming rubbing the salve on the scar across his chest as she looked at him intently.

"Don't you dare think this changes anything, Potter." She said in a soft but stern tone. "I don't care about your scars… if anything, they're proof of how brave you really are." She rubbed a gentle thumb across his cheek with her other hand before capturing his mouth yet again in a kiss that had his toes curling.

And he did the only thing he was capable of in that moment - he kissed her back. He kissed her with an intensity he never knew he was capable off, trying to pour out all his feelings of love, gratitude and feeling so overwhelmed by emotions he couldn't even define that he didn't think there could have been any words to express them, so he did the only thing he could he worshipped her lips with his.

When she had finally left after Madam Pomfrey declared visiting hours were over, he still felt her lips on his, the taste of her mouth and her tears as he had kissed them away too.

That night, his last in the infirmary, he slept with dreams of the most beautiful girl in the world, a girl who accepted him, scars and all. He knew he had fallen just a little more in love with Hermione Granger and wondered if there would ever be words that could define what she meant to him.

* * *

"Accio!" Neville once again failed at summoning the quill from across the empty common room.

It was close to midnight, the day before the charms midterm and Harry, Hermione, Lavender, Parvati, and Neville had been studying for it for the past five hours. He and Hermione had already mastered all the topics that would come in the exam, with Harry only needing to review the theoretical aspects. But the other three had been really struggling and he and Hermione decided to stay around and help them.

The past week had gone by fairly quickly, and with only the midterms for DADA, Transfiguration, and Charms left, Harry felt much better since those were the subjects he was most proficient at. The other subjects though… not so much.

Originally he decided he wasn't going to study for them and just wing it, but when Hermione had threatened him with cancelling snogging privileges if he didn't get at least _E_ in each subject. He didn't need more motivation to study. Although he still couldn't believe Hermione would threaten him like that! He was going to make her pay for her cheekiness, that was for sure.

"I still don't get how you can do the summoning charm perfectly." Neville told him dejectedly as he turned towards the group.

"Well, when you're staring at a dragon that is only a couple of meters away from you and wants to eat you, it gives you a bit of an incentive." He said with an awkward chuckle, which the rest of the group didn't reciprocate, probably not finding it funny after how it ended.

"Well, yeah. I guess you're right." Neville mumbled awkwardly.

"Look," Harry said as he stood up from the couch he was sharing with Hermione, not missing the slight huff when he left, and walked to the spot beside Neville. "Just picture the quill, how it looks, how it feels, the more details the better. Then picture it flying towards you and picture yourself catching it." Neville nodded determinedly and Harry waited a few seconds.

"You got it?" Harry asked and Neville nodded once again. "Good, now try again."

Neville raised his wand and aimed it at the quill on the table across from the common room.

"Accio quill!" He exclaimed and the quill flew towards him. Harry was sure that Neville finally made it before the quill faltered in midair and dropped a couple of inches away from them. "I'm hopeless." He sighed as he slumped down on the armchair nearby.

"You're not hopeless." Harry tried reassuring his friend, giving him a kind smile. "You just need more practice. This was progress, I'm sure you'll be able to summon it by tomorrow."

Before Neville could respond, they were both startled by a squeak from behind them.

"Lavender!" Hermione exclaimed in a combination of outrage and shock.

"What? You know it's true." The blonde responded with a sly smile and Parvati laughed.

"What are you talking about?" Harry and Neville asked simultaneously, causing Hermione to flush even more.

"Nothing!" She squeaked out as she stood up. "I'm going to bed!" She quickly rushed towards him and pecked him on the lips. "Bye!" And with that she rushed towards the girls staircase and disappeared.

Harry just watched the girls staircase for a moment.

"Huh?" He asked dumbly to no one in particular before turning to the two snickering girls. "What did you do to Hermione?"

"Nothing." Both girls said, too innocently for Harry's taste. "Nothing really!" Lavender continued after he had a look of disbelief on his face. "We just said some things about you being a great teacher."

"Why would she react like that to me being a good teacher." Harry asked puzzled.

"Well..." Lavender said as she stood up, Parvati also rose from her spot on the couch. "We're going to bed now. Goodnight Harry, Neville."

"Girls!" Harry muttered to himself as the girls left the room. "I swear I'll never understand them!"

"Really?" Neville asked bewildered. Harry turned towards his friend with a questioning expression. "Well… it's just that after the goblet thing, you basically only hung out with those three for a couple of weeks. And you guys became so close so quickly that every guy in Gryffindor thought you were amazing with girls."

Harry just stared at Neville for a moment before he burst out laughing.

"What?" He gasped out a couple of moments while trying to control himself. "Mate, I don't even know what I'm doing half the time. I just wing it mostly and just hope I do or say the right thing."

"But you and Hermione always feel so in sync!" He exclaimed.

"Hermione is different. She isn't just any girl, she was my best friend and after everything we've been through together we've just grown really close. I mean sure, it was weird at first when I realized I had a crush on Hermione but I just continued being me and she continued being her usual self and it kinda worked. And honestly I wouldn't have it any other way."

Neville still looked unconvinced by him.

"Nev, trust me. I'm crap with most girls. Even with Lavender and Parvati it started out weird but then we slowly started gaining trust. Believe me, if I were to try and walk up to a girl and woo her I would do a shit job. Like I said, with Hermione it's different, she isn't just any other girl. She's my best friend."

When it looked like Neville was hanging on his every word, Harry let out a sigh, gave a small smile and continued in a somber but whimsical manner.

"We're still best friends who just happen to like snogging and teasing each other. But we care about each other more than regular friends do and at the same time, I just can't see us going back to how it was before. I don't know, It's weird. I guess I'm just pretty shit at explaining it. Hermione would be better at this."

He chuckled before there was an awkward silence between the two of them.

Talking about Hermione and their relationship reminded him of something he'd been thinking a lot about recently. He had no idea what he was going to get her for Christmas. Planning her birthday surprise had taken like two weeks of his time before he finally got that idea, and ever since he completed the first task he started thinking about Hermione's Christmas present.

But after the wonderful gift she gave him, he couldn't think of something to give her that lived up to the locket. He subconsciously started playing with it as he began thinking what to give her for like the tenth time this day.

It was only after a couple of minutes of silence that he realized he was getting nowhere. He'd been running around in circles with the same ideas for the past couple of weeks. He sighed as he slumped deeper into the couch in defeat.

"What's up?" Neville asked him.

 _Well, I wouldn't lose anything by asking Neville for advice._ He sighed before straightening up on the couch.

"I was just thinking about Hermione's Christmas gift. I've been thinking for over two weeks but nothing lives up to this." He said glumly as he pulled out the locket and showed it to Neville.

"Well, you don't have to one up her gift... _right_?" He asked, though Harry could tell he was asking himself more than he was asking him.

"Not really. It's just that after our new relationship, all the help with the tournament, and what happened at the beginning of the year. I just want to give her a gift that shows how thankful I am to have her. But nothing comes to mind."

"I don't know." Neville said dejectedly. "I'd tell you to ask someone else, but I'm pretty sure you know her better than Lavender and Parvati and they are the only people she hangs out with apart from you. Just trust your instincts, I'm sure she'll love whatever you give her." Neville finished awkwardly, but Harry wasn't paying attention to him anymore.

He knew Hermione better than anyone here, true. But he wasn't the person that knew her best… and he luckily had a way to contact the two people who did.

"Neville, you're a genius!" He exclaimed happily as he stood up from the couch and began pacing around the room excitedly while coming up with a plan.

"What?" The chubby boy asked befuddled.

Harry ignored him for a couple of moments before he turned to him. "Neville, you're brilliant! Oh I could kiss you!"

"I'm sorry, Harry. You're a decent bloke but I'm not really into guys." Neville said a little more confidently than how he'd been acting all night.

Harry once again ignored him as he continued thinking about what to do before stopping in his tracks and looking directly at Neville.

"Come on, you're summoning your quill before we go to sleep." Harry said as he picked up the quill and placed it on the desk from across the room.

"Harry shouldn't w-"

"Nope!" He interrupted Neville before he could finish his sentence. "You're gonna summon it tonight and then you're gonna do it again tomorrow before the exam. You know what to do." He finished with an encouraging smile.

Neville sighed before he closed his eyes and squared his shoulders in determination and taking a few moments before he once again opened them and aimed his wand towards the direction of the table.

"Accio quill!"

* * *

"Quills down, time's up." Professor McGonagall's stern voice sounded around the enlarged transfiguration classroom.

For the past week and a half their classes had been cut short to only one class per day to have plenty of time to study for the midterms. Today was their transfiguration exam and it was their final exam this term. Every student from their year was taking the test at the same time to ensure there would be no copying, with the practical part of the exam taking place before the theoretical part. Fortunately their year had been the last period of the day which gave Hermione all morning and most of the afternoon to make sure she knew the concepts perfectly.

Hermione had already finished by the time Professor McGonagall had called out their names and was just checking her answers for the seventh time to make sure everything was in order. She gently put her paper down and started putting away her instruments in an orderly fashion while Professor McGonagall summoned all the parchments towards her.

"Before you go," Professor McGonagall spoke up as people were standing up to leave, which elicited some disrespectful groans from most students. Hermione narrowed her eyes at Harry who was also one of the ones who groaned and she saw how he visibly gulped when he saw her glare.

"You will need to go directly to your common rooms right now where you will meet your head of house where you will receive some special announcements." Professor McGonagall continued before she turned towards the Gryffindor side of the room. "I expect you to be there in fifteen minutes." She dismissed them sternly.

Hermione caught Lavender and Parvati's eyes, wondering if McGonagall was finally going to announce what they had theorized would happen. The winter break was the perfect moment for an event that required formal robes and Lavender was sure it was going to be a Ball or a big event like that, especially since Hogwarts was hosting two schools. The only other time would be Easter but that would be way too late in the year, something the three of them seemed to agree with.

Parvati nodded and Lavender gave her a sly smile, which caused her to roll her eyes at both girls. The two of them made their way towards her as she turned to Harry who was slowly making his way towards her with a bright smile on his face and Neville right behind him.

"How did you do?" He asked the group as soon as he arrived at her side and placed an arm around her shoulders. She noticed Ron walk past them and she was sure she saw a look of longing on his face as he did.

"I don't know. I think I got question 3a wrong. I'm sure I got 4 kind of wrong but I think I can save it with half points. And the essay section killed me, I'm sure that I'm barely gonna scrape an _A_." She said glumly, eliciting expressions of disbelief from the other four, with Harry's also being of fond exasperation as he shook his head and looked heavenward.

"Liar." Harry whispered loud enough, eliciting laughter from the others, before he started walking away from them and towards the classroom exit.

"Don't call me a liar!" Hermione said as she and the others caught up with him and poked him harshly on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry, but how can I not call you a liar after you just said the biggest lie I've ever heard in my life?" He grinned at her as they continued walking towards the common room.

"Harry! This is serious!" She glared at her boyfriend.

"Alright everyone. Ten galleons that Hermione aced that exam and got a straight O." Harry said as he turned to the others.

"Harry!" She exclaimed but the rest of the group ignored her.

"I bet 15 galleons that Hermione aced every test and got straight Os"

"Neville!" Hermione exclaimed, incensed that even Neville who had slowly come out of his shell during the past few weeks was now even betting.

"Twenty galleons that she gets the top grade of the year in every exam except DADA."

"Parv-" She was interrupted by Lavender

"Oh please. Fifty galleons that she has every answer in every exam right. Even the bonus questions." The blonde said with a smirk.

Hermione just huffed in irritation but said nothing, just continued walking grumpily with the rest of the group as they theorized about what the announcement was going to be about. Lavender and Parvati played it coy by saying they had no idea while Harry and Neville were trying to figure it out, although they didn't seem to reach the obvious conclusion the three girls had.

Ten minutes later, they were entering an incredibly packed common room. They maneuvered their way through the large crowd of people and found a spot in the corner where the five of them made themselves comfortable just as Professor McGonagall had arrived.

"Silence please!" Her amplified voice boomed across the room, causing the students to quiet down.

"I am here to announce that the Yule Ball is approaching." The whole room exploded in murmurs and whispers and Hermione immediately looked at Harry who was standing beside her. He had an adorably confused expression on his face which made her smile. It took a couple of minutes for Professor McGonagall to regain the attention of the common room.

"The Yule Ball is a traditional social event which is a part of the Triwizard Tournament. It is a chance to… let our hair down and socialize with our foreign guests." Lavender, Parvati, and a whole load of Gryffindor girls giggled at that. "Now," Professor McGonagall continued in a stern voice. "While this is a chance for us to have fun, that does _**not**_ mean that Hogwarts will lower its disciplinary standards and allow you all to act in any way that embarrasses the school in front of the international magical community. I will be most _displeased_ if I find a Gryffindor doing that."

Hermione could see some people around the room paling while others were not affected by the Professor's light threats.

"Dress robes will be worn, this is a formal event. And of course you'll need dates for the Ball."

Immediately, all the boys in the room got panicked expressions on their faces as they began to look around the room.

"The Yule Ball will be open to every student fourth year and above. Third year students may go if someone asks them to be their date. Unfortunately, the Ball won't be open for the first or second years." None of the first or second years looked particularly miffed about that.

"The Ball will take place on the night of the 25th of December from 8pm to midnight. Tomorrow morning there will be a sheet on the bulletin board where the people who want to leave will sign their names. Also, since I expect every Gryffindor who is present to be on their best behaviour, if one person decides to even step a toe out of line, I will make sure they are immediately asked to leave the Ball." She finished off sternly and everybody in the room nodded.

"Good, that will be all for now." As soon as she said that, everyone started scattering, with some leaving the common room, some going to their dorms, and others staying.

Hermione turned to the others in the group and saw Lavender and Parvati stare at her and Harry as if they were about to watch a show. She blushed before turning expectantly towards Harry with a smile crossing her face. He seemed like he was still trying to figure out what just happened and didn't appear to be as excited as she would have wanted.

While Hermione didn't consider herself a girly girl, she was something of a romantic and loved the idea of going to a ball with the person she loved. This was the first chance she would have to be in a romantic setting with Harry, and she had been looking forward to it ever since Lavender proposed it as an idea for what the dress robes were about. She had actually chosen the specific dress she bought just to impress Harry and couldn't wait to show it to him.

But he didn't seem to like the idea of the Yule Ball at all, and she deflated a little bit at his indifferent expression.

"Potter, could you come with me" Hermione was startled out of her thoughts when Professor McGonagall approached them. "And bring Granger as well, this concerns her as well." The professor said with what Hermione imagined was a smile, but she was sure that she was hallucinating.

"Ok?" Harry said hesitantly as he stood up before helping Hermione up.

The trio left the common room and walked towards the first empty classroom that was nearby, Hermione flushing lightly as she recognized it as one of the classrooms where she and Harry had snogged a couple of days ago.

Professor McGonagall instinctively went to the teachers desk and sat down before looking at the two of them, who had stood quietly in front of her.

"As a champion you are expected to open the Yule Ball."

"Open the Yule Ball?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"Yes, Potter. You and the other champions are expected to bring dates and open the Ball with the first dance-" Professor McGonagall was interrupted by Harry.

"I'm sorry Professor," He started with a sarcastic scoff. "I must have misheard you because I was sure I heard you say _dance_."

"You heard me correct, Potter." Professor McGonagall said sternly.

"Professor. I eat. I study. I play Quidditch. I even fight the occasional basilisk or dragon that comes around every couple of years. I. Don't. Dance." He said pointedly

"You do now, Potter." Professor McGonagall said without missing a beat. "You and your partner, and I assume it will be Miss Granger since you two are a couple now, are expected to open the dance."

"But I don't want to dance!" Harry said with barely contained anger. "It's not in the stupid tournament requirements last time I checked."

"It's tradition. And you will open the dance unless you want to find yourself in detention for the rest of the year."

"I won't go." Harry said defiantly and Hermione instinctively grabbed his hand to try and calm him down. As much as she wanted to go to the ball with Harry, she would still support him now.

"Potter." Professor McGonagall said as she removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes. "You are a champion and you will open the dance. I won't have you painting Gryffindor and Hogwarts itself in a bad light."

"I didn't want to be a champion." He glared at the teacher but Hermione could tell he had calmed down a little.

"Regardless of that," Professor McGonagall said as she stood up. "You are a champion and it is tradition for champions to open the Yule Ball. You will do what I'm telling you or I will make sure you don't get to play Quidditch next year or that you aren't considered for the prefect or Head Boy position. Do I make myself clear?"

Seeing that Harry was just shooting a death glare at Professor McGonagall she spoke up for him. "Yes, professor McGonagall. He understands." She noticed that Harry was doing his best to not say anything.

"Good. The Champions will attend dancing lessons twice a week to prepare for the Ball. I will inform you the dates and place later this week.

"Thank you, professor McGonagall." She said with a curt smile.

The Professor reciprocated it before leaving the room, leaving the two of them alone. As soon as she was out of the room Harry pulled out his wand and cast what she assumed were privacy charms at the door before he began rambling.

"Unbelievable! This is just what I needed! This stupid Ball with me opening it with a shitty dance to please the _fucking_ wizarding world! I guess they must be having a laugh while planning this. I was their stupid dancing monkey while facing the fucking dragon and now I'm literally going to have to dance for them! How fucking fitting!"

He continued rambling on but Hermione had stopped paying attention.

While she understood what Harry was feeling and why, she couldn't help but feel a little hurt. This was the perfect chance for them to be together on a romantic night. She didn't care about dancing in front of the school as long as she was dancing with Harry. She had been hoping that Lavender was right and that a ball would be announced but now that it was, it was all falling apart.

Maybe it was unrealistic that she expected Harry to love the idea and be excited to dance with her, maybe she was being selfish, maybe she was just creating an image of Harry in her head that didn't correlate with the real Harry. But she felt hurt by his reaction.

"Hermione?" Harry's soft voice brought her out of her thoughts as she looked back at Harry who was looking at her with his green eyes full of concern. She immediately composed her face and smiled at him.

"Right. Yes, it really sucks. I agree." She said half-heartedly, to support Harry first before bringing up her thoughts about the Ball when he was in a better mood.

Harry looked at her and she felt as if he was looking right through her mask.

"Fuck! I'm such an idiot!" He cursed himself as he lowered his head.

"Harry?" She asked tentatively.

"Here I am being the world's biggest prat feeling sorry for myself when I didn't even ask you about what you thought about the ball or whether you liked it." He said dejectedly.

"Harry, it's fine." She lied dismissively, as she didn't want him to feel guilty for being genuinely angry at the tournament organizers.

"No, it's not." He said as he looked up at her. "I'm being an arse with you." He sighed before he once again looked away from her.

"Harry, I get it. You don't want to go to the Ball and dance in front of everyone like that. Trust me, I understand. I realize that it must suck for you." She said, ignoring her own feelings and focusing on Harry.

Harry sighed and dropped his head, there were a few moments of silence before he slowly walked towards her, gently grabbed her hands, and looked at her intently. "It would suck… but luckily I have the best girl I could ask for with me." He smiled at her and Hermione felt her heart flutter at those words. "I may not be much of a fan of balls or dancing, but with this amazing girl by my side I know I'll have a great time. And I'll make sure this brilliant girl has an amazing night as well."

Hermione felt her heart fluttered as she beamed at Harry. It was clear that he still wasn't much of a fan of the idea of going to the ball or dancing, but he was willing to do it for her. He was willing to prioritize her and her wishes so that she could be happy instead of focusing on his justified anger. Every time she was sure that Harry Potter couldn't surprise her anymore, he managed to do just that.

But as much as she wanted to start gushing about the Yule Ball, he still needed to do something. She composed her features and shot him a playful smile.

"Oh really? Isn't it rather presumptuous to assume that this brilliant girl will go with you? Especially when you haven't even asked her out properly?" She asked with a coy smile.

"Hmmmm…" Harry mock pondered for a few moments. "I guess you're right. Let's go to the common room so that I can ask Lavender out." He said cheekily.

"Hmmmmm… maybe I should go talk to Neville and see if he asks me out. Or maybe I'll go to the library and see if I can find Krum there. He seems to be in there all the time." She said with a shrug as she moved towards the door but was stopped when Harry grabbed her hand.

She turned around only to see him drop down onto one knee and give her a broad smile. "Hermione Granger, would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the Yule Ball?" He asked her affectionately.

"Hmmmmmm…" She mock pondered before turning to look at her nails indifferently. "I suppose so."

In a second Harry stood up and pulled her towards him before he started kissing her passionately. He walked them gently towards the nearest wall, where he pinned her just before he prodded his tongue into her mouth. Harry wasted no time in their usual battle for dominance as he made her yield.

He began to passionately snog her brains out as she moaned and mewled into his mouth. His hands once again drifted towards her derrière cupped her gently, he pulled her towards himself. They were as close as they could possibly be while she played with his hair and ran her hands across his back pulling him even closer.

As her world narrowed down to him, his lips on hers, his hands roaming over her backside and occasionally tangling in her hair, she felt his body react to hers, causing her to smile into the kiss for a second before he started kissing her even more passionately., His lips were tracing the curve of her cheeks, her jaw and her neck as he turned her into a whimpering mess, finally capturing her lips with his again.

After what felt like an eternity, he parted from her and she let out a small whine at the loss of his lips on hers. She was sure, if his strong arms weren't holding her up, her knees would have buckled.

Breathing heavily, she stared into his eyes and found herself captivated by the sight of his rumpled hair and swollen lips. Smiling brightly as she pulled him closer as he willingly closed the distance between them, she placed a chaste kiss on those lips again.

"Yes." She breathed out as soon as she could. "I'll go to the ball with you Harry Potter."

"That's what I thought." He said cheekily and she glared at him.

"You're lucky I said yes, Potter. Otherwise you would have to go date hunting, something I think we both know you'd fail at." She said with a challenging eyebrow.

"I don't know… wooing you was pretty easy." He said with a self satisfied smile, as his finger toyed with a lock of her hair before he tucked it behind her ear.

"As if, I was the one who had to snog you first." Hermione said as she lifted her chin up in defiance.

"I was still the one that gave the first kiss." He smirked at her.

"After I gave you dragon sized hints! How much more explicitly could I tell you I was yours than by wearing your Quidditch jersey every night for two weeks!" She rolled her eyes at her memories of how clueless he had been.

"Hmmmm… I guess you're right." He said with an impish smile before he quickly stole a kiss from her. "You are mine." He beamed proudly at her, as possessive arms held her firmly, pulling her closer still, while bright green eyes looked fascinated and joyous.

"As you are mine, Potter. Don't you forget that." She tried glaring at him, but her body was rejecting her commands as a smile crossed her face.

"Never." He smiled at her as he stole another kiss from her before he finally unpinned her from the wall and grabbed her hand gently. "Come on, let's head back to the common room."

A few minutes later they were entering a pretty decently packed common room. It was practically divided in half, with the girls bunched up in groups and giggling every now and then while the boys sported an expression, as the term like deer in the headlights crossed her mind. There were a few couples together, but it was mostly divided by gender.

They walked towards Lavender, Parvati, and Neville, Hermione quickly noticing that Lavender was sneakily eyeing Dean from across the room, and mentally saved that tidbit for a later conversation. They sat down in the love seat together, Hermione quickly snuggling into Harry with a goofy smile, still ecstatic that they were going to the Yule Ball together. _Now if I can get him onboard about dancing…_

"Pay up." Parvati said proudly and Neville groaned before pulling out five sickles and giving them to her.

"Are you really going to keep making bets about Hermione and I?" Harry asked, mirth evident in his tone.

"Yes." The three chorused.

Both she and Harry groaned in unison, making the other three roll their eyes at them.

"So you guys ready for the party?" Parvati asked excitedly and she immediately felt Harry stiffen.

"Crap!" He whispered.

She looked up and saw him scanning the common room before stopping when he set his eyes on the Quidditch team.

"I'll be right back." He said before gently disentangling himself as he leapt off the couch.

"He forgot the party was today, huh?" Lavender asked and Hermione couldn't stop a groan from leaving her lips.

Hermione vaguely heard Harry telling the others about the party and could tell the common room had all turned to Harry to listen attentively at what he was saying. A few minutes later, Harry left a really excited Quidditch team and headed towards them.

"Err…" He began awkwardly when he arrived. "I may have forgotten all about the party so while Fred and George get the supplies, I'll try to meet with the other champions and see if we can find a decent place to host the party."

"Just send us a message where the party will be and we'll tell the team where it is." Lavender said happily as she and Parvati stood up before the blond basically pulled her to her feet. "We'll meet you there."

"We will?" She asked Lavender who just rolled her eyes at her.

"Sure." Harry shrugged before looking at her. "I'll call you on the mirror and give you the info. I don't know how long it will take but definitely an hour before curfew." He said as he flashed her a smile.

"Great! Come on, Hermione. We need to freshen up." Parvati told her with an impish smile as she grabbed her arm.

"We do?" Hermione asked her friends who looked at her as if she was crazy.

"Bye Harry!" Lavender said before the two girls basically dragged her away from her boyfriend and towards the girls dorm room. As soon as they got there and Lavender closed the door Hermione started rambling at her two friends.

"What do you mean freshen up? Wouldn't it be best to help Harry to prepare for the party? They still don't even have a place to host it!" She exclaimed.

"Hermione, after every crazy thing Harry's done, I'm sure that finding a place to host the party will be easy for him." Parvati told her in a bored voice.

"Besides, he'll be with Neville and the other champions. So, while they do all that boring stuff we'll freshen up for the party, tell the team where it will be, and make sure no one else manages to eavesdrop and learn the location of the party. After all, we don't want any crashers." Lavender tried to placate her.

"Ugh! Fine!" Hermione said, even though she'd rather be out there helping Harry.

"Perfect! Now spill! How did he ask you to the Ball!" Parvati asked as both girls looked at her in anticipation.

She looked at them, their eager faces and a smile transformed her face as she narrated the incident, minus just how passionately they had kissed in celebration.

* * *

"Brilliant!" Harry exclaimed as he looked around the room.

It had taken around half an hour for Harry to find the other three champions and for the next hour, the four of them had prepared the party. Harry had decided not to use the room, as he wanted that to be special for him and Hermione and revealing it to others would be a big mistake. Instead, he thought of the empty classroom where the mirror of Erised used to be housed. It was hidden in just the right place that people wouldn't be able to find it unless they were actively looking for it.

The other three champions had worked together to expand the inside of it to make it large enough for the thirty or so people who had been invited to the party. Harry had invited twelve, Cedric had invited nine, and Krum had invited five. Surprisingly, Fleur hadn't invited anyone but she reassured them that it was fine.

They had set up the classroom, Krum and Fleur had brought some bottles of firewhisky each and with Fred and George bringing more alcohol and snacks, they would be set. They had conjured tables, chairs, couches, disposable cups and plates, and they had set up party music that echoed around the classroom. All in all, Harry was sure their set up would make Fred and George proud.

"Should we tell the others where we're at?" Harry asked the three as the four huddled around a table in the middle of the room.

"Not yet." Cedric said with a mischievous smile. "There's still like two hours before curfew and right now everyone's at dinner so we have plenty of time for the others to arrive. For now, I'd like us to have a private toast before everyone else arrives."

"Ah, vat a great idea!" Krum exclaimed as he grabbed one of the firewhisky bottles from the makeshift cooler, summoned four cups, and started pouring the alcohol.

Harry was actually surprised at how Krum was acting. Usually when he had seen him in the Great Hall or the library, he had a permanent scowl on his face. But the more he hung out with the Bulgarian, the more he seemed to leave that persona behind.

He grabbed the offered cup before he mirrored the other champions as he held out his cup in the middle of the table.

"Ve may be competitors, but ve are first and foremost champions and the best our schools haff to offer. Ve von't allow the competition aspect to make it so that ve don't become friends as we face the next trials. May the best champion vin!"

Everyone cheered in agreement before they all drank their shot of firewhisky. The first thing Harry noticed was that this was way more than the quantity he was used to. The second thing he noticed was that this firewhisky was incredibly stronger than the other times he'd tried it. He immediately started coughing as his throat burned and he felt Cedric pat him roughly on the back.

"You okay there?" Cedric asked as he laughed at Harry's condition.

"I'm good." He choked out and the others laughed.

"Ve need to vork on your alcohol tolerance, Potter." Krum told him with a grin. "This isn't going to be our last party, so ve haff a lot of time to work on it."

"I know just 'ow to do eet." Fleur chirped in. "Drinking games!"

"Excellent!" Krum exclaimed as he started summoning more cups from the table. "This past year, I haff been around the world and haff gone to numerous parties with fellow Quidditch players. I haff played many different drinking games, but the best one by far is _beer pong_!"

Krum organized twelve cups in two pyramids at each edge of the table.

"Ve'll play in pairs!" Krum declared.

"Come on 'Arry, you'll be wiz me!" She said as she flashed him a smile.

He went towards her side of the table as Cedric went with Krum. As the other two champions talked, Fleur and Harry agreed on each drinking three out of the six cups.

"Aro you ready to lose, Viktor?" Fleur asked teasingly as she conjured two ping pong balls and handed one to Harry.

"Ve'll see how much you two drink after ve easily beat you." Krum said smugly.

"You're on, Krum!" Fleur exclaimed before she launched the ping pong ball across the table, landing right on the cup at the tip of the pyramid.

* * *

Hermione was pacing around her dorm as Lavender and Parvati were finishing their own makeup. After she had finished telling them about what happened with Professor McGonagall and how Harry had asked her out to the ball, they each had showered and changed into more informal clothes.

Since she only had uniforms and some muggle clothes with her, Lavender and Parvati had forced her to change into muggle clothes, not wanting her to a party in uniform. So she was wearing her favorite pair of periwinkle sneakers with a pair of jeans and another one of Harry's quidditch jerseys she had collected from his room after she had finished showering. She left the one she'd been using for the past two months on his bed, so it technically wasn't stealing.

Her hair had been worked on by Lavender and Parvati, it was falling in soft waves over her shoulder, looking more curly than ever before. She had also allowed Lavender and Parvati to put a little bit of make-up on her. She had to grudgingly admit that she loved how she looked right now, she continued to check herself out in the mirror and even began considering grooming herself more often for special occasions like this one.

Right now though, all those thoughts had been thrown out the window as she was pacing worriedly in her dorm. It was about one hour before curfew and Harry had still not called. Her friends had told her to relax but she couldn't. Not because she thought anything bad was happening, but because she wanted to at least make sure they didn't have to sneak around the party during curfew. She was still hesitant about breaking curfew all together, especially for a party. But she knew that the party was happening anyways and it would be better if she made sure her group of idiots didn't get caught.

"Alright, that's it. I'm calling Harry."

"Hermione, he's fine. He'll call us any minute now." Parvati tried to convince her but she was a witch on a mission. She pulled the mirror from the pocket of her jeans where she kept in and called Harry.

It took about a minute for him to answer her and when he did she could immediately tell something was off. He looked woozy as he was smiling widely at her… _too_ widely in her opinion.

"Hello Hermioneee." He shouted slurredly with a goofy smile on his face before he dissolved into fits of laughter for absolutely no reason.

_Merlin, is he drunk?_

"You so look beautiful." He said as he grinned at her while slightly swaying his head.

_He's definitely drunk!_

"Are you drunk!?" She exclaimed as her head shot up to find Lavender, who probably sensed her incoming tirade, walked towards her and took the mirror from her hands as Parvati held her back.

"Hey, Harry." Lavender said amused as she talked into the mirror.

"Hello, Lavender!" Harry shouted excitedly. "Is Hermione mad? Don't tell her I told you this but she looks really cute when she's angry." He said in an extremely loud whisper and Hermione forgot her anger for a moment as she flushed.

"Yeah, she really is cute when she's angry." Lavender said as she looked at Hermione before turning back to the mirror. "Say, Harry. Would you mind telling us where the party is at?"

It took Harry about a couple of minutes to finally be able to describe where they were and how to get there from the common room.

"Great! Thanks Harry." Lavender said before she turned to look at Hermione and apparently noticed that she was still angry at Harry. "Harry, hang up and don't answer if Hermione calls back."

"Don't you dare hang up, Harry Potter!" Hermione shouted but it was too late as she heard Harry say goodbye and hang up.

She tried calling him back but after a minute where he didn't answer she threw the mirror on the bed in frustration.

"Why did that prat have to go and get drunk!? We're at school! What if a teacher finds him! What if someone leaks it to the press with the whole damned tournament going on! Why did he have to be such a stupid prat!" She rambled angrily as she walked around the common room.

"He's going to be fine, Hermione. Look, let's just get there and make sure he doesn't get more drunk than he actually is. You can yell at him when we get there." Lavender soothed and received a death glare from Hermione.

Hermione huffed, threw her arms in the air, and walked out of the dorm room. As soon as she got into the common room, she saw that it was way more packed than usual and everyone had surrounded the Quidditch team, asking them where the party was going to be. She turned around and saw a hesitant Lavender and Parvati standing there.

"Just go and tell the team about the stupid party, I'll go get my stupid prat." She said as she shook her head.

Both girls nodded and Hermione immediately walked out of the common room. It took her about ten minutes to get down to the fourth floor, walk past the library, and find the hidden classroom. She opened the door slowly and was quickly assaulted by a large party. It seemed that the other guests had just arrived as well, since most were just getting their first drinks and settling in. Hermione though, quickly spotted her stupid boyfriend with the rest of the champions and about six other Durmstrang students around a circular table.

As she walked towards the table, she spotted that it was filled with a bunch of disposable cups in the shape of a circle. She also spotted Fleur and the blond Durmstrang she'd seen a lot with Krum trying to get a small ping pong ball inside an empty cup by bouncing it on the table. Fleur managed to get it in and passed it to the person on her right. Harry.

She huffed as she realized this was how Harry had gotten so drunk. He had been playing stupid drinking games for Merlin knows how long. Instead of going at Harry, not wanting to cause a scene, she went towards Cedric and basically pulled him out of the circle.

"How much did you give him to drink!" She hissed at the tipsy sixth-year who flinched at her glare.

"Not much, I swear! We only played like three games of beer pong before you called. Right now we're playing but Fleur is drinking for him because the firewhisky hit him too hard too soon."

Hermione tried calming herself down upon hearing this, at least he wasn't still drinking. She was still going to berate the prat for drinking like that.

"Look, I'm going to go outside. Could you bring Harry there? Right now." She said sternly and the sixth-year Hufflepuff nodded before quickly going for Harry.

Hermione huffed before quickly making her way out of the room. She wasn't outside for more than five seconds before the door opened again and Harry came out.

"Hermione!" Harry shouted with the widest smile she'd ever seen on his face. "You're here!"

"What the hell were you thinking!" She hissed at him as she grabbed him and pulled him into the corner of the hall. "Getting drunk like that in Hogwarts! We're supposed to be in school and you're getting drunk! Why didn't you call me as soon as you found the place! Why didn't you at least wait for me! What if a teacher had come in and seen you like this! What if someone tells the press and they publish an article about y- stop laughing Harry!" She admonished as soon as he started giggling. "This is _serious_!

"You look so beautiful when you're angry, Hermione." He said as he cupped her face and grinned at her. "How did I ever get to have such a beautiful, caring, and brilliant girlfriend."

"Harry, I'm trying to admonish you here! You were reckless! I agreed to this party because you promised you'd behave! Why couldn't you just wait for me to arrive before you started drinking!" Her voice was softer this time, she could never stay mad at Harry for very long. Especially when he seemed this happy and was saying such sweet things.

"I didn't drink much. Just like… eleven shots of firewhisky! I'm fine!" He finished with a charming smile.

"Harry! That's a lot! You can't just go drinking like that while we're at school!" Hermione shook her head and Harry just began giggling again. "Stop it!" She tried admonishing as a smile crept onto her face. "Harry James Potter, stop laughing right now!" She exclaimed as she began chuckling.

"You're laughing too, you know." He said with a smug grin.

She couldn't believe how this prat had just managed to make all her anger just evaporate with a smile and a few giggles. As much as she wanted to stay mad at him, she just couldn't do that now.

"Oh honestly!" Hermione swatted his chest. "Whatever am I going to do with you Harry Potter?" She said as she shook her head.

"You're going to snog my brains out like you always do." He said happily as he pulled her into his arms and started kissing her.

Their kiss started out slow and tentative, but it quickly turned passionate. As their tongues battled for dominance, she could taste the firewhiskey Harry had just drunk and she couldn't find it in herself to care. Every time she kissed Harry was intoxicating in its own right. She finally yielded and for the second time that day found herself pinned against a wall as Harry's kisses consumed her.

Hermione pulled back from the kiss, immediately turned around and flushed when she heard some people clearing their throats from behind them. Standing right in front of her were Lavender, Parvati, and the rest of the Quidditch team (plus Lee) grinning at them.

"Very inappropriate of you Miss Granger." Fred told her with a mischievous smile as he opened the door to the room and stepped inside with what looked like ten bottles of firewhiskey.

"So disappointed in you, not the actions of a future prefect." George shook his head as he entered with a bunch of snacks and Lee following behind him.

The other three girls just smiled knowingly at her as they entered, with Katie even winking at Harry as she stepped through the door!

"Yeah, she's gonna be furious, right Lav? Poor Harry was going to get hexed into next year, right Lav?" Parvati grinned at the blonde.

"Well you saw how pissed she was!" Lavender defended herself as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"You should know by now that Harry's the only one who can stop Hurricane Hermione, Lav." Parvati said in a self satisfied tone.

"Damn right." Harry said cheerfully from behind her as he gently grabbed her middle and slowly pressed her against him as he hugged her, resting his chin on the curve of her shoulder.

Hermione just flushed under the knowing smirks her friends were sending her before they finally stepped inside the classroom.

"This isn't over, Potter!" Hermione told him as she turned around and poked his chest.

Harry just kept grinning at her, as if nothing she did or said could wipe his grin off his face, which caused Hermione to huff.

"Come on, let's go inside. No more drinking, I promise." He raised his hands in surrender.

Hermione mock glared at him before grabbing his hand and entering the party again. She led them to a couch near the edge of the room, sitting Harry down first before she plopped down on the couch and immediately snuggled at his side.

"Don't you want a drink?" He asked her as he put an arm around her.

Hermione looked up and glared half heartedly at him. "Someone has to take care of you."

"Please." He said softly as he looked at her seriously. "Just a couple of butterbeers. I don't want you to not have fun because of me."

"Fine, I'll ask Lavender to bring me a couple butterbeers in a few." His grin immediately returned as he beamed at her. "No stealing from me, Potter."

Harry once again raised his hands in surrender. "Promise." He once again put his hand around her and started playing with her hair after she huffed again and buried herself into him.

Hermione looked around the room, spotting that even more people were playing drinking games now. A couple of Hufflepuffs were taking on a couple of Durmstrangs on one of the beer pong tables while Fred and George took on Katie and Lee on the other. The three chasers had joined Cedric, Cho, and the other Hufflepuffs and Durmstrangs playing that game Harry was playing earlier on the circular table. She noticed that she couldn't find Fleur or Krum anywhere but immediately dismissed the thought when Lavender and Parvati sat on the adjacent couch after putting six butterbeers on the table between them.

"For you." Lavender said with a smile which Hermione reciprocated.

She slowly reached out and grabbed one of the butterbeers before snuggling back in with Harry. Taking a sip from it, she basked in its flavor and sighed contently, glad that they had a small piece of normality in their lives while being in the middle of this damn tournament.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kalon - Beauty that is more than skin deep


	21. Wintertime Love

Harry didn't know when he woke up nor did he know how long he'd been awake. The only thing he knew was _pain_. This wasn't pain like the cruciatus curse nor did it feel like the aftermath of being battered by a dragon. It was different, and in some ways, it was _worse_.

He had the worst headache he'd ever had in his life, the world felt like it was spinning around him, he felt like he wanted to vomit, his mouth tasted like something had died inside it and was dry as the desert but he couldn't find the will to move. At the same time, he felt incredibly cold and tired, he didn't want to move from the welcoming warmth of his bed, he didn't want to do anything but sleep for the next week.

And worst of all, he didn't remember a single thing about last night. The last thing he remembered was toasting with the other champions and playing beer pong before the party and everything after that's hazy. He had fragments of what he assumed were memories from last night. He was trying to bounce a plastic ball into a cup and failing miserably. Hermione was berating him in a dark corridor. He was playing beer pong with Neville while Hermione glared at him intently. Fred secretly giving him a shot of firewhisky and he downed it just before Hermione scolded him and the twins. He was sloppily kissing a much calmer Hermione in the empty common room.

Harry groaned and tried to burrow himself into the bed more than he already was. As he lay there, regretting all his decisions from last night and promising himself he'd never drink again in his life, he heard the door open loudly as he heard footsteps but his brain wasn't in a state to register much about them.

"Is he still asleep?" He heard Hermione ask in exasperation before there was a brief pause and a deep sigh. "Look, just go downstairs with Lavender and Parvati. I'll meet you there soon." There was another pause before Hermione snapped. "Oh, honestly Neville! It's not like I'm gonna kill my boyfriend!"

Harry heard some mumbling before the door closed and Hermione gave a deep sigh again. He heard her slowly walk towards him and open the bed curtains. She sat on his bed and began stroking his hair gently, he couldn't help but lean into her touch.

"Good morning, my champion." She purred into his ear and for a second he felt the nausea go away. "How are we feeling today?" He was about to groan out some muffled response but she beat him to it. "I'm sure you're feeling like a winner right now." He could picture the smirk on her lips. "Why don't I ask Fred for more firewhisky so that you can continue drinking?" He immediately groaned and tried to move away but she didn't let him. "You don't want more?" She asked innocently. "Surely you love it with how much you drank yesterday. Especially after you took Merlin knows how many shots behind my back after I arrived at the party."

Harry groaned into the pillow and turned to glare at her, but he was sure it looked more like a grimace than a glare causing Hermione to smile smugly at him.

"Come on. It's almost noon. You need to wake up." She said as she smacked him lightly on the chest.

Harry groaned again and clutched his sheets, pulling them towards his face.

"Oh, honestly Harry!" Hermione said in exasperation without stopping her gentle massage. "You have no one to blame but yourself. We had agreed before the party that you wouldn't drink too much." She chastised him before she stopped stroking his hair. "Here, this should help."

Harry groaned for the millionth time this morning as he turned to look at her. She was already showered and dressed in fresh casual clothes. Her hair was a little bit bushier than normal and she had faint black bags under her eyes. She was holding a glass on her hand with some sort of potion.

"It's a hangover potion. Drink it, you'll feel better" She said sternly.

Harry slowly propped himself up and managed to get into a seating position and grabbed the glass from Hermione. Ignoring the horrible smell he downed it all as fast as he could. At first, he felt worse and he was sure he was going to vomit this time. But after a minute he immediately felt the effects of the potion as he started feeling way better than he had all morning.

"Better?" Hermione asked with a tentative smile.

"Loads." He said, mirroring her expression as the potion still worked on him.

"It should take about five minutes for the potion to completely take effect." She said matter-of-factly. "Hopefully you've learned your lesson because next time I won't make you your potion." She said with a glare before standing up to leave.

"Hermione…" He called out to her as she reached the door, causing her to slowly turn around. "Thank you." He said in a grateful voice.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him and she shook her head as a small smile appeared on her lips.

"I'll see you downstairs Harry." She closed the door behind her, leaving him alone in the empty dorm.

* * *

The next ten days passed incredibly quickly for Harry. With his exams finished, the tournament on a brief pause, and his break from training, he had all the time in the world. He spent his days mostly with Hermione and his friends. He would always wake up late in the mornings, barely managing to reach the late breakfast hours the school provided when the term ended. Some of his days he spent with Neville, the twins, and other boys from his year (with sometimes Hermione, Lavender, and Parvati joining in) just fooling around, playing quidditch, having snowball fights outside, or just chilling in the common room.

Shortly after the first task, the whole school had seemingly ignored the first three weeks of November and had treated him like a champion, something he hated. Not just because he hated being treated as if he were a real champion, but also because this highlighted how fake the people in Hogwarts could be. And after the incident from the second year, Harry didn't know why he was surprised about that.

As much as he wanted to call out everyone for the phonies they were and tell them to fuck off and leave him alone, he couldn't do that.

Making himself a pariah from the whole school by being constantly pissed off at everyone was a really stupid idea. If he made enemies out of everyone to the point he was spiteful against them, he would have a much harder time getting them to do favours for him in the case he ever were to need something from them. Even Sirius and Remus had agreed that making himself an outcast and outwardly showing his anger at everyone was a bad idea, especially with the threat of Voldemort constantly looming over him ever since he entered the wizarding world.

But one thing he wouldn't do is forgive and forget. He learned his lesson after giving the others a second chance after the whole Heir of Slytherin debacle. Just because he was going to be cordial didn't mean he was going to be friends with them. They could go rot in hell for all he cared.

Other times he'd spent the days with Hermione, Lavender, Parvati, and anyone else who wanted to join. As much as he liked spending time with Lavender and Parvati and how close they'd grown ever since his name came out of the goblet, every time those three girls were together (especially if it was just the four of them), he'd be the victim of relentless teasing, especially focused on his drunken escapade. Even though before the two girls used to tease Hermione more than him, it seemed as if they had joined forces against him. Even Neville had joined in with them sometimes!

Other days he spent with the champions. While each of them had remained with their group of friends for the most part during the holidays, the four champions had also hung out in private more than a few times during the break. Harry and Krum had another rematch for the snitch, with Cedric and even Fleur joining in. They also had had their snowball free for all fights around the grounds. One thing he did find odd was how Fleur and Krum always seemed to arrive and leave together from their little gatherings, but he immediately dismissed the thought as random.

But by far his favourite days were the ones where he spent the most time alone with Hermione as much as possible. After the stressful month of November for both of them, he knew he made the right choice by having them take a break. Although he could tell that Hermione was having a hard time refraining herself from studying ahead for what she called " _The imminent O.W.Ls_ "

At times Harry wondered if Hermione forgot they were still over a year and a half away.

They spent a great deal of their alone time at night cuddling in the common room while they each read novels. Hermione, apparently not satisfied with quitting books entirely, had managed to find a loophole and say that reading fiction wasn't the same as her usual reading. She'd even managed to convince Harry to also start reading with her as well.

If Hermione asked him he'd never admit it, but he finally understood why she loved reading. Having never been able to read at the Dursleys, he never really understood. The textbooks for their classes also didn't help Harry's love for reading to spark. But after Hermione had introduced him to novels, he'd become fully invested in them. In ten days, he'd ploughed through the _Sherlock_ _Holmes_ anthology collection and had started reading _Ender's Game_. The fact that he also got to snuggle with Hermione as he read was something he wouldn't change for anything.

Apart from their reading, snuggling, and walks by the lake where they talked about everything, anything, and nothing. They had made it their unofficial mission to _examine_ all the empty classrooms they could. With all their free time and the tournament on pause, the two of them had been devoted to their extracurricular activities as often as possible.

But the thing Harry was surprised about the most was how he couldn't get enough of dancing with Hermione.

* * *

"Mr Potter, Miss Granger. Please come in." McGonagall greeted them sternly as she answered the door.

The couple stepped into the Transfiguration Classroom where McGonagall told them to meet her for their dancing lessons. All the chairs and desks from the students were nowhere to be seen, leaving a large empty spot in front of the teacher's desk and its blackboard.

"Didn't you say the other champions will also have to attend these lessons, professor?" Harry asked not even bothering to hide the bitter tone in his voice, causing Hermione to automatically grab his hand and squeeze it.

"I did, Mr Potter." She said coldly. "However, as the other three champions are not in Gryffindor, they are not my responsibility. Their respective Headmasters or Head of House will have to organize their own dancing lessons. Do you have any more cynical remarks or may we move on?"

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He'd promised Hermione he'd make sure she had the best night possible on the Yule Ball and had to start right now. He nodded for Professor McGonagall to continue.

"For the Yule Ball, the champions are expected to perform what is known as _The Champion's Ballad_." She started in her usual lecture tone. "It is a traditional dance that every champion in the history of the Triwizard Tournament has performed during the Yule Balls. As your Head of House and dance instructor, I have been studying the dance ever since your name came out of the Goblet, Potter, and I will teach it to the both of you throughout these lessons."

"However, since this is your first day, I rather start with the basics of usual formal dancing. In our future sessions I will instruct you more regarding the Champion's Ballad. Before we start, do any of you know how to dance?" The professor asked them and Harry had to bite down a scoff.

"No Professor, we don't." Hermione answered for the both of them, her tone betrayed her nervousness and excitement at the same time.

"I thought as much." She said curtly. "So we shall start with shall we say baby steps? Mr Potter, Miss Granger would you please get into position?"

Harry didn't even get the time to blurt out some confused response before Hermione turned to him and looked at him expectantly. Not really knowing what to do, he just turned towards her and tried to act as if he understood what was going on.

"Very well, now Mr Potter, put your right hand on Miss Granger's waist." Harry had to do a double take at those words.

"Sorry, what now?" He blurted out as he looked at McGonagall with an incredulous expression. It's not like Harry hadn't grabbed Hermione by the waist before… or hadn't put his hands on some other places. But he had never done so when he wasn't drunk on firewhisky or lost in one of Hermione's mind numbing kisses, and much less when he was in front of a professor.

"Her _waist_ , Potter. Unless you wish to practice with **me** first." McGonagall arched an eyebrow at him and he immediately put his hands on Hermione's waist and as his heart raised owing to the feeling of having Hermione in his arms in such an intimate way but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed since they were in front of a professor.

McGonagall sighed and breathed out, "Just the right hand, Potter. You'll use the left one to hold Miss Granger's right hand." He slowly removed his hand from her waist and took hold of her hand as he intertwined his fingers with hers.

"Miss Granger, put your left hand on Potter's right shoulder." Hermione immediately followed the professor's commands and gave him a tentative smile which he returned. "Now, Potter you are expected to lead the dance while Miss Granger follows you. I will play the music and you shall try to move to the rhythm of it."

As soon as the song started playing, Harry tried to follow McGonagall's instructions and sway to the rhythm. Having never danced before in his life he was extremely nervous, he started out slow so that he wouldn't accidentally step on Hermione's toes as they moved and was worried about his every move. Having Hermione this close also made him nervous and self conscious of everything for a reason Harry didn't understand. After everything they've done together these past couple of weeks, he didn't understand why he suddenly felt nervous and self conscious at being like this with Hermione, but that didn't stop the feeling.

Another thing that made him uncomfortable as he swayed clumsily to the music was the fact that McGonagall was in the room with them. While he knew that she probably wasn't watching them intently as they danced, it still didn't make him feel less embarrassed. He knew he was going to hate dancing, and not even a minute in he was already on edge and just hoping it would end.

Suddenly, he felt Hermione squeeze his hand and he turned to look at her (only realizing then that he'd been avoiding her gaze) and saw her reassuring smile. Harry felt himself calm down slightly by it and tried to stop overthinking everything. He tried to handle his breathing as he started swaying to the music more naturally.

As time went on he felt himself starting to become more comfortable with dancing and he slowly but surely started to lose himself in Hermione's chocolate eyes which were gleaming with joy and something else. He felt himself become more relaxed as he looked into her beautiful eyes.

He didn't know if it was his imagination, but he could've sworn that he felt closer and closer to Hermione. The next thing he knew they were basically hugging, Hermione was propping her head on his shoulder while he buried himself in her bushy mane and breathed in the vanilla scent he so loved. He closed his eyes as they swayed incredibly slowly, he had tuned the music out and had only focused on the girl in his arms.

Time became irrelevant to him, it felt like he had spent an eternity like that with Hermione and he would gladly spend a billion other eternities like that with her. He slowly moved his arms to the small of Hermione's back and pulled her even more into his arms while she had snaked her arms around him and nestled her head even deeper.

Harry was suddenly startled when he heard someone clear their throats and he and Hermione quickly disentangled themselves from each other and turned towards the noise. He saw McGonagall seated on the teachers desk, reading a book as she drank from a cup of tea. He immediately remembered that they weren't alone in the room and flushed.

"I was planning on giving you some pointers on the slow dance but you two seemed to have gotten the hang of it." She said without looking up from her book and an uncomfortable silence ensued before she bookmarked the page, closed it, and rose from her seat. "That will be all for today. Your next class will be on Thursday where I will teach you more about the ballad itself. It's not complicated but it is more elaborate than the slow dancing you did just now. Don't worry, after you finish the ballad you may dance however you please." She said with what Harry could've sworn was a smile.

* * *

Needless to say, Harry quickly fell in love with dancing with Hermione. While he still preferred just dancing slowly with her like their first lesson, he had started to add some more advanced things into their private dances they had (for practice sake, of course) like twirling her around and having an improvised pace.

Unfortunately for him, Hermione seemed to have caught on the fact that he had started to love dancing with her and started teasing him with that. He'd of course denied such a thing and said that he was only trying to do his best so that he didn't embarrass them at the ball. His girlfriend didn't seem to buy his excuses and even he had to agree with her that they weren't convincing at all.

One thing he was sure of though was that he wasn't planning on stopping dancing with Hermione after the ball was over. After all, they had to continue practicing for any future balls that may come up. It just wouldn't do for them to be unprepared.

* * *

"Ladies first." Harry said with a mock bow as he opened the door to the carriages to Hogsmeade.

Last night, Professor Dumbledore told the students that they would be allowed to visit Hogsmeade tomorrow. While there usually was no Hogsmeade weekends in December, given the special case of the Yule Ball and the visiting schools, the Headmaster had decided to allow them to visit Hogsmeade today and announced that he would increase the number of Hogsmeade visits throughout the year because of these special situations.

Having not been able to go to the first Hogsmeade weekend last month because of the first task looming over them, both he and Hermione were elated at Dumbledore's decision. It was weird that after a month and a half of being a couple, this would be their first date… ever.

"Why, thank you kind sir." Lavender said as she mock curtsied before entering with Parvati mimicking her actions while Hermione rolled her eyes at him, but he couldn't fail to notice the smile she was trying to suppress.

He let Neville go in first as he noticed the horse like creatures that were in front of the carriage. He had never seen them before, although if he was honest with himself, he wasn't really paying attention earlier in the year when he arrived at Hogwarts after Malfoy's visit to the compartment.

"Come on, Harry." Hermione called out to him and he entered the carriage, making a mental note to research what the horse like creature was.

He took his place beside Hermione and placed an arm around her while she snuggled in. The carriage ride went by extremely fast as the five of them talked about their respective plans for Hogsmeade. He was actually surprised when he found out that Neville was going to spend the day with Lavender and Parvati rather than going with the other boys but he couldn't fault him after how Seamus and Ron had acted with Neville after he started hanging out with the four of them.

When they reached the village they quickly went their separate ways, with Lavender, Neville, towards Honeydukes while he and Hermione started to walk aimlessly around the village. They held hands and started to slowly make their way through the village. They enjoyed the comfortable silence as they simply enjoyed each other's presence while seeing the beautiful sight that was Hogsmeade before Hermione spoke up.

"This is nice." She sighed contently, something that made Harry give an internal sigh of relief.

He knew nothing about dating and had been nervous about what they should do in Hogsmeade ever since last night. Every time he tried to get some advice from Sirius and Remus, Sirius would go on a long, over complicated way of wooing girls while on dates while Remus told him to ignore everything that had just been said. So the fact that Hermione was seemingly enjoying this made him relax.

He hummed in agreement as he tried to get closer to Hermione, throwing his arm across her shoulders as she nestled into him, making his heart beat faster even as he couldn't help the smile that threatened to split his face. "So... where do you want to go first, girlfriend."

"Hmmm… I don't know, boyfriend. I think right now I just want to walk around with you." She said as she lightly swayed around.

"Sounds good to me, girlfriend." He said before kissing the top of her head lightly.

Hermione gave an unladylike snort after a few seconds. "So we're just going to call ourselves boyfriend and girlfriend from now on?" She asked teasingly as she wound her arm across his back and curled her gloved hand over his hip.

"I don't know girlfriend. Maybe we should come up with some pet names for each other?" He asked impishly, knowing fully well Hermione's distaste for nicknames.

"I've told you and Ronald many times that I don't like nicknames." She said as she glared at him, which only caused him to smile smugly at her.

"Hmmmm…" He mock pondered as Hermione continued her mission to glare him into submission. "What about… ' _Mione?_ "

"You are not degrading my name like that, Harry James!" She warned but he kept going.

"Ok, not ' _Mione_. What about _Mi_?"

"Definitely not!"

"But what if I get creative and sometimes say it like, _My one and only_?"

"Too sappy and too long." She said rolling her eyes.

" _Mia_?"

"How did you get from Hermione to Mia!?" She asked incredulously.

"What about… _Mine_?"

"Wow! Possessive much?"

" _Hermy_?"

"Don't you dare call me Hermy, Harry James Potter!" She thundered.

"What about Herms? Or Hermy-Herms?"

"If you ever call me by that name again, I swear you'll have to search for another date to the Yule Ball!"

"So _Hermy-Herms_ it is." He said smugly, causing her to look up at him again, her glare still compromised by her flush.

"You are not calling me any of those!" She poked him on the chest for good measure.

"Or what?" He asked smugly.

"Or I'll call you something like… like… like… like _Har-Har_." She declared as she lifted up her chin in defiance.

"What!? No! You're not calling me _Har-Har_!" He exclaimed as he mentally cringed at that horrible nickname.

"Then you're not calling me ' _Mione_ or _Mi_ or any other stupid nickname." She declared.

"Fine." He grumbled. "Then we'll just be Harry and Hermione."

"Much better, don't you think." She said as she snuggled into his side, her warmth a welcoming sensation amidst all the cold.

He hummed in agreement as they continued walking around the village. They continued to walk aimlessly around the village for the next half an hour before they finally decided they should go around shopping.

Their first stop was a local formal footwear store where Harry quickly bought some formal shoes for the Yule Ball, one of the many things he forgot to buy when he went to Diagon Alley before Hogwarts, one of the consequences for his little adventure with Padfoot and Moony. It took him less than five minutes to spot a pair of shoes he liked, try them on, get them magically resized to perfectly fit his feet and leave the store with his new purchase.

Given the fact that Hermione already had everything she needed for the Yule Ball, they spent the rest of the morning going around their favourite shops and indulging themselves with some purchases. They went to Honeydukes first where each bought their own respective candy and managed to spot Katie and Lee there on their second date.

After that Harry had bought pretty much all he needed, so he let Hermione guide him to her favourite stores. They first went to _Tomes & Scrolls_ where Hermione quickly lost herself in her own little world as she looked around the store at every book she could. He took notice of which books she lingered on and made a small mental note for himself.

As Hermione browsed the store and lost herself in the books, he was right there behind her carrying all the books she chose to buy. Every time she picked up a new book, she'd turn to him and start telling him all about the book, the author, books from the same subject, and books that came out the same year. Hermione was clearly in her element and he was amazed by this new side of Hermione he'd never seen before.

While his girlfriend lost herself in books, he lost himself in her. He couldn't help but admire all the things she knew. He had to smile at how Hermione's eyes sparkled as she told him all about why she thought a particular book would be a great buy. He couldn't help but chuckle at the hungry look she gave each book and how she treated every single one of them as if they were invaluable treasures. He couldn't help but fall more for the girl in front of him, and his only wish was to do something that made her as happy as she currently was.

After three hours (which went by way too fast in Harry's opinion) he and Hermione stepped out of the store, his girlfriend the proud owner of eight new books.

Their visit to _Tomes and Scrolls_ seemed to have tired out both of them, so they decided to head to _The Three Broomsticks_ for some butterbeer and lunch. They found a boothe on the corner of the establishment and made their way there. They spotted Neville with Lavender and Parvati and just waved at them, neither of them wanted to break off their date even momentarily.

Harry ordered a butterbeer and a serving of fish and chips while Hermione ordered Shepherd's Pie with Garden Salad and a butterbeer too. The two of them spent a couple of minutes talking about nothing before the food finally came and they ate. His food was delicious as it had been the last time he'd been here and his butterbeer was perfect (and much better than the firewhisky from two weeks ago).

"So," He started as soon as they were done eating. "We have about… four hours left. What do you want to do?"

"Well, I do want to go to _Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop_ for more quills, and maybe we could go back to _Tomes and Scrolls_ just to look around more." For a moment it seemed that Hermione was lost in her own little world before she shook his head and looked back at him. "But we should probably go buy Christmas presents for our friends."

"You got any ideas yet?" He asked as he leaned back into his seat.

"Well… I wanted to get something for Lavender and Parvati. I already bought Neville some sweets from Honeydukes." She paused for a moment and got a melancholy expression on her face. "I need to buy my parents some Christmas presents. I was hoping that we would be allowed to go back home after the Yule Ball, but according to professor McGonagall she can't make exceptions."

"You miss them." Harry said, more to himself than to Hermione.

"I do, I barely saw them during the summer vacations and didn't get to go back for Christmas last year." Harry shuffled awkwardly in his seat as he felt slightly guilty for that since Hermione had stayed for him, thankfully she didn't seem to notice. "I still have the summer though." She finished with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

He gave her a reassuring smile as a plan started forming in his mind. "Come on, let's go find some gifts for your parents."

They spent the next four hours scouting for presents across a multitude of shops. Given the fact that he was with Hermione right now, he couldn't actually buy her a Christmas present right there and then, so he made special notes for things he should get her and was thankful for owl service.

Hermione ended up buying Lavender and Parvati some books on their favourite subject, Divination, while he bought some sweets from Honeydukes for the two of them and a book on rare and magical plants from the Mediterranean for Neville. He also bought Fred and George some products from _Zonko's_ he knew they would appreciate, while for the three chasers he bought signed posters of their favourite professional Quidditch teams from _Spintwitches Sporting Needs_.

Hermione's presents for her parents were a bit harder to find than the other presents they bought. Out of the four hours, they spent the latter three searching for their perfect gifts. They entered and left a multitude of stores since Hermione wasn't satisfied with possible gifts for her parents.

Harry tried to help her as much as he could, he started asking her about her parents, what they looked like, what they liked and anything else he could think of. As they browsed a lot of stores, all they did was talk about them with Harry paying close attention, trying to find the perfect gift for Mr and Mrs Granger and at the same time learn as much as he could about them (and Hermione by extension).

As they talked about her parents and searched for what Hermione would consider as their perfect gift, Harry couldn't help his mind from wandering. Would he also have been just as confused and yet instinctive regarding what to get for his parents based on his knowledge of their likes and dislikes? He saw Hermione reject some things at first glance, others she'd examine and ask questions about, before deciding against them for one reason or another.

Was this how he'd have behaved too if his parents were still alive? Would he have gone around from store to store looking for a gift to buy for them? What would he have gifted his mum? Would he have given her some sort of jewellery? Did she even like jewellery, if so what kind? What about his dad? Would he have bought something from Zonko's for him to prank him or would he have purchased something more age appropriate and something that you would get for your dad?

Would he have been close with his parents? Would he have learned how to fly and play Quidditch from his dad? Would his dad have encouraged him to keep the legacy of the Marauders alive? Would he have had friends growing up, perhaps sons and daughters of the other marauders? What about his mum? Did she have close friends too, just like his dad? Would he have grown up playing with their kids as well? Would she have wanted for him to also be involved in the muggle world instead of just the wizarding one? Would she have yelled at him for his reckless behaviour throughout the years? Would she have hugged him when he was sad?

Would he be an only son or would he have a sibling or two? Would it have been a brother or a sister? Would they have been as close as Fred and George were or would they have been opposites like Percy and the twins? Would he have teased them and embarrassed them constantly? Would they have teamed up and pulled pranks on their father and the other marauders? Would th-

"Harry? Are you even listening to me?" Hermione's voice brought him back to reality.

"Sorry, got a little lost there. You were saying?" Harry asked. Hermione looked at him curiously but for some reason he couldn't quite figure out, she didn't question him about his wandering mind.

"What do you think of this for mum?" She held out a light blue scarf for him to examine. He gently took it in his right hand as she started explaining in her professor mode. "It's a scarf obviously. But it's made from acromantula silk, making it extremely soft. It has a couple charms on it, which I think make it perfect. It has been enchanted so that it will stay as soft and as vibrant as it is now, no matter how old it gets or how many times it gets washed. What do you think?" She finished slightly hesitant.

"I'm sure she'll love it." She shot him a dazzling smile before rushing to the counter.

After that they continued looking around the stores for Hermione's gift for Mr Granger when suddenly he remembered something. He hadn't bought a gift for either Sirius or Remus, and after everything they've done for him these past six months he really needed to buy them something.

They went from store through store and neither he nor Hermione could find a gift they truly liked. A part of Harry was starting to give up and just send them _Zonko's_ items but he immediately dismissed the idea. They entered what felt like every store in Hogsmeade before they finally found what he was sure was the right store.

It was a wizard's store where they sold formal robes and accessories. They entered the impressive shop and started to look around. Initially upon looking at a couple of robes hanging in the storefront, he thought about buying Remus a pair of elegant robes since he couldn't help but recall how worn out and old his clothes had looked when he was teaching at Hogwarts the previous year, but Hermione had immediately shot that idea down.

She felt that it could lead to a misunderstanding with Remus taking offense or worse feel absolutely humiliated, even if that wasn't Harry's intention. He was a grown man, but more than that he was a man of principles bogged down by his unfortunate circumstances and Harry's well intentioned gift could inadvertently cause insult to injury. It was a sobering thought but a couple of minutes later he finally found what he thought was a good gift for their former professor.

A set of enchanted shaving equipment would be Remus's Christmas gift. It would give him a smooth and clean shave always, last for a couple of years and never cut his skin. Not wanting to buy both Marauder's the same gift he decided to opt to look for something else for Sirius. He was browsing the belt section and considered buying a belt for his godfather when he was interrupted by Hermione.

"Harry! Come here!" She beckoned him from across the store and he immediately went towards her. "I think I found something for you! Here!" She pointed his gaze to a box with a black wallet kept in a table within a glass display. "It's a wallet made from dragonhide, particularly the skin between their eyes and their eyelids, which makes it soft yet durable. But what makes it great is that, once it's bought, it would be enchanted by Mrs Nuttley here so that it's keyed to the first person who touches it. Which means that only they can open it and use it! And it also has an anti-theft and a forget-me-not charm, so the owner would never forget where they placed it and by extension never lose it, nor can it ever be stolen from them." She said excitedly.

"This is brilliant!" He said as he marveled at the wallet before turning back to Hermione. "I could give this to Sirius! You're a lifesaver, Hermione!"

"Oh, it's really nothing." She dismissed him. "I was actually also planning on buying my dad that one, I chose the brown one though."

Ten minutes later, Harry left the store with a black wallet for Sirius and the shaving kit for Remus while Hermione got a brown wallet. With about fifteen minutes left before they had to head back to Hogwarts, they slowly strolled down the village with Harry's hand around Hermione's shoulders while her hand was around his waist.

As slowly as they possibly could, they walked in a comfortable silence towards the carriages and when they got there, they were lucky enough to find an empty carriage. He let Hermione get in first and then proceeded to get in before using a locking charm on the door.

"Harry! We're not supposed to do that!" She chastised him as she looked at him incredulously.

"Oh, come on Hermione." He said knowingly as he sat down beside her and draped his arm around her. "We both know you'd rather finish our date alone here rather than riding with Merlin knows who."

"We still shouldn't do that." She said half heartedly.

"Then unlock it." He shrugged and continued with an impish smile. "You know the counter charm."

She looked at the door, then at him, then back at the door, then back at him, and then she huffed. "If someone catches us, I'm blaming you."

"Sure thing, _Mia_." He said smugly as she burrowed herself into him.

"You call me _Mia_ one more time _Har-Har_ , and you'll lose snogging privileges for the rest of the school year." She warned as she poked him in the stomach with her finger.

Harry just smiled before kissing the crown of her head and relaxing as he held her. He closed his eyes and breathed in the vanilla scent from her hair and wondered how much a couple of weeks can change your perspective. Two weeks ago, he hated the thought of the Yule Ball and everything that came with it. But as he started practicing dancing with Hermione and just spending time with her as a couple, without the tournament and Voldemort looming over them, he found himself loving spending time with the beautiful girl in his arms even more.

He couldn't wait to spend the Yule Ball with his girlfriend.


	22. The Yule Ball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta-Read By Aani

"I'm going to kill him," Hermione said as she paced in front of the fire and saw Lavender roll her eyes from her peripheral vision.

She never thought she would say that about her boyfriend, much less on Christmas morning, yet here she was. The five of them had agreed last night that they would all wake up at six in the morning and open their gifts together before the rest of the house woke up. Unfortunately… it seemed that Harry had other plans, for he had been absent for the past thirty minutes. Neville had even mentioned that when he woke up Harry wasn't even in the dorm.

"Hermione," Lavender started while she was filing her nails. "I'm sure Harry just got held up wherever he is, doing whatever he is. He'll be here shortly."

"We agreed to meet here at six o'clock." Hermione persisted as she shot a glare at her friend. "It's not my fault he's thirty minutes late!"

"Twenty-seven minutes actually." She heard a voice call out from the entrance of the common room and she turned around, spotting a sheepish looking Harry giving her his lopsided smile. "Sorry, I got caught up with Dumbledore."

Immediately forgetting her anger she went towards her boyfriend and started inspecting him closely, her hands reaching for his arms and shoulders, searching for any injuries he might be hiding from her, as her eyes scanned his face and neck for any obvious signs of trouble.

"You went to Dumbledore? Did you have another nightmare? Did he say something about the second task? Does he have any news on Voldemort? Was Padfoot there? What about Moony? What did th-" Harry interrupted her rambling by covering her mouth with his hand.

"Yes, I went to Dumbledore. No, I didn't have a nightmare. And… I don't remember the rest of the questions so let's just leave it at that, ok?" He said with an amused tone.

"Then why did you go to Dumbledore? Especially this early in the morning?" She asked suspiciously after he removed his hand from her mouth.

"Err…" Harry said smartly as he ran his hand over the back of his head. "You know. School stuff. Champion stuff. I'll tell you later." He said offhandedly before taking a good look at her. "Is that my jersey?" He asked confused and slightly bemused.

As much as she wanted to continue asking about his meeting with Dumbledore she refrained herself, she'd been slowly learning that sometimes it was better to let Harry come to her when he was ready.

She rolled her eyes as she turned around and went back to the loveseat she had occupied. "I always wear your jersey, Harry." She said matter-of-factly.

"No. You always wear my _Quidditch_ jersey, that's my _tournament_ jersey." Harry said as he snuggled beside her on the love seat.

Hermione smiled smugly at her boyfriend. "I did promise I'd steal it from you."

Harry mumbled something about 'thieving girlfriends' though there was no bite to his tone. She was about to retort but was stopped when Lavender spoke up, suddenly reminding her that they weren't alone in the common room.

"You two love birds are adorable, you really are, but we're here to open our gifts so you can either get a room or we can start with this." She said mirthfully and Hermione immediately blushed.

For the next twenty minutes, the five friends opened their gifts. Lavender had given her a book about spells and potions about enchanting living beings and non-living things, making her eyes bug out but she kept her mouth shut. Parvati gave her a book of the most popular romance author in the wizarding world, someone called Aprodhite Lovegood, who lived about 300 years ago, along with some treats from Honeydukes. Neville gave her a book about OWL and NEWT preparations, study guides, practice quizzes, and more. He also gave her a study planner for next year.

Harry must've noticed the hungry look in her eyes that had come alive owing to Neville's gift cause he immediately snatched it from her hands and reminded her about her promise, causing her to grumble about there only being less than twenty-four hours left, but he didn't relent.

In the end, everyone had opened the gifts they received from each other and their other friends and family, all except for two. Harry and Hermione had yet to open a couple of gifts and were eying each other shyly, nervously looking at the unopened parcels and then their friends, giving them awkward smiles until there was silence. Thankfully Parvati seemed to have understood Hermione's look and nudged Lavender who also immediately picked up on it.

"Well," Parvati said as she and Lavender stood up. "We need to get going. We'll see you two at breakfast?" She asked the couple and they both nodded.

"Great!" Lavender piped up but suddenly noticed Neville didn't move. "Come on Nev, let's go."

"Aren't we going to wait for Harry and Hermione to give their gifts to each other?" He asked in a genuinely confused voice.

Hermione noticed that Lavender did a double-take at Neville's naïveté before Parvati took charge.

"I actually wanted to ask you about our Herbology homework, Neville. " Parvati said as she grabbed Neville and pulled him up.

"Yeah," Lavender continued as the two girls began dragging Neville away from them. "We've been having a lot of problems with it and really need your help."

"What? We don't even have any Herbology homework." He said and Hermione could feel Lavender and Parvati rolling their eyes at him as they left the common room.

She untangled herself from Harry and sat with her legs crossed on top of the couch, looking directly at Harry. "You first." She said as she looked at him expectantly.

Harry turned his body towards hers but kept his legs on the ground before he summoned three boxes from where they had placed the collective pile of gifts.

"Three gifts!? We agreed to keep it at one!" Hermione exclaimed with wide eyes.

Harry dramatically looked at the floor where her two gifts for Harry sat before turning back to her.

"Funny, I could've sworn I saw two gifts there." He said cheekily and Hermione blushed. "Besides, you gave me this." He pulled out his locket from under his shirt and smiled at her, Hermione was immediately touched that he was still wearing it. "So I guess we're even then."

"Fine," Hermione mumbled as she began planning the four gifts she'd give Harry for his birthday. Harry gave her a triumphant smile before handing her the first box - the largest. She narrowed her eyes at Harry before gently opening it and gasped when she saw the contents.

There in front of her were the three books she had wanted to buy so badly the last time she and Harry went to Tomes and Scrolls, but couldn't since they were pretty expensive and she needed to buy gifts for her parents, Harry and her friends.

Hermione gently picked one up and ran her hand tenderly over the cover before she looked up at Harry who was wearing a pleased smile.

"Harry I… I- I can't take this!" She said as she pushed the box towards him.

"What?" Harry said as his smile vanished as he suddenly adopted a sad expression. "I was sure those were the books you wanted. I'm sorry, I sho-"

"No!" Hermione exclaimed as she immediately grabbed Harry's hand. "No! I love it! You have no idea how much! But Harry, these three books must've cost like 50 galleons! It's too much."

"Oh," Harry said and his shoulders sagged in relief. "Well, don't worry. It's fine. I'm glad you liked them." He said with a smile.

"Harry, it's too much! And there are still more gifts! I can't take this!" Hermione said in exasperation but couldn't help but give one last loving glance to the books she wanted so badly.

"Wait, I don't understand. You liked them, right?" She immediately nodded. "Great! And I like that you like them. So why can't you take them?"

Hermione was taken aback by his simple logic and couldn't find anything to counter it but she pressed on anyway, it was simply too much.

"It's not that simple Harry!" She said and saw Harry eyeing her carefully. "I love them, I really do." She reassured, not wanting her boyfriend to get the wrong idea. "But those books are simply too expensive!"

"Oh, it's fine." He waved her off. "Sirius gave me money and told me to use it for gifts, besides I still had a lot saved from the summer so it's not a big deal."

"Harry…" She insisted and was surprised at how half-hearted her voice was.

"Please, just take it. What's the point of me having money and of Sirius giving me even more money if I can't use it to buy gifts for my girlfriend?" Hermione finally relented and nodded.

"Great!" He beamed at her and she smiled at how genuinely happy he seemed. _This boy is going to be the death of me!_

For the next five minutes, she took her time adoring the three books and repeatedly thanked Harry for them before she finally gently put them down and accepted the second box Harry gave her, the medium-sized box. Once again she took her time in opening it and thankfully, this time it wasn't some absurdly expensive gift like a magical replica of the crown jewels of England or something like that.

Instead, it was just a magical coffee mug. It was decorated with a moving illustration of the Hogsmeade village in winter and it looked amazing.

"It has a couple of charms, mostly to maintain the temperature the liquid is when it's poured into the mug and from preventing the contents from spilling. I know you still haven't followed me down my coffee craze… _yet_. But you do like tea and I also bought a matching cup for myself so I thought it would be fun for both of us to have one." He said with a sheepish smile.

"It's perfect." She beamed at him and only refrained from kissing him since the common room had started to slowly fill with other students.

The smile Harry gave her was so radiant that it took a second for Hermione to remember that she was the one receiving the gifts and not him. Suddenly, Harry's expression became slightly less elated and Hermione could notice that he was nervous.

"Here's the last gift." He said a little anxious but also excited (?) as he handed the smallest box to her.

She slowly removed the ribbon and gently opened the box and once again gasped. She slowly picked up the silver chain and ran her finger adoringly over the pendant hanging from it, the one that was a simple 'H' made of sapphire, the shade of periwinkle. She felt her jaw drop and close as she looked between Harry and his gift but words failed Hermione Granger for the first time in her life. It wasn't long before Harry started blabbering.

"I wanted to get you something like this." Hermione assumed he motioned towards the locket but she didn't take her eyes off of the chain and pendant. "So, I decided to go with a bit of jewellery. I asked Lavender for help as I don't know much about these things, you know? Aunt Petunia never really wears a lot of jewellery besides her wedding band and besides that, I don't think you two have anything in common. I don't even have a sister and thankfully neither did Dudley." He shuddered as he said those words aloud and Hermione was baffled for a few seconds until she recalled Harry's trouble the previous summer with his uncle's sister Marge and she reached out to hold his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze snapping him back to reality as she smiled at him.

Shaking his head, as if to clear his mind, he continued,

"Anyways, I asked Lavender if I could pick her brains and have Parvati distract you, which is how you ended up with helping Parvati and Neville learn some dance moves that McGonagall was teaching us. Lavender told me what I could get and what sorta things to avoid. Blimey, that girl had pictures and magazines and my head whirled and I wondered if I should have asked Parvati instead, but anyways. She told me what is appropriate and what is in fashion for someone in our age group using _Teen Witch Weekly._ I browsed around in her magazines but didn't like any bracelet, her first recommendation, so I decided on a chain and a pendant with an 'H', you know for Hermione and also Harry but HH would have been weird so I just settled for a single H. Thankfully they accepted orders via owl, so I sent Hedwig and I also chose a periw- wait, are you crying? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make y-"

Hermione swiftly cut him off by forgetting about everyone else and kissing him. It was a soft kiss where she tried to express the love she felt for him right now and was happy when she felt him relax into the kiss. Unfortunately, since they weren't alone she had to break the kiss _much_ earlier than she wanted to. Unwilling to sever their contact however she refused to let go of the cheek she was cupping as her thumb gently caressed him, she saw Harry lean into her touch, sighing as he did so, and she smiled as she met his eyes.

"I love it, Harry." She said earnestly. A part of her wanted to say it was too much but after Harry's reaction, it was the last thing that she could tell him. "This is perfect Harry. I…" She paused, she was honestly speechless at the moment. She just beamed at him as she stared deeply into his emeralds and got lost in them. She noticed he still looked a little concerned and tried to appease him. "These are happy tears, Harry. I loved it. Thank you so much" She pecked him again on the lips (causing him to beam at her) before parting and wiping her eyes as she turned her attention to once again admire the thoughtful gift.

She looked back up to her boyfriend and handed him the chain. "Could you put it on me, please?" She asked as she turned around and moved her hair out of the way.

"Sure," He said nervously before getting right behind her, his breath hot over the back of her neck, making her shiver even as pleasure was coursing through her veins. He slowly put the chain around her and latched it after a couple of seconds.

When she sensed he had moved back, she turned around and once again began staring at the necklace adoringly.

"It also has several enchantments." He began, his voice much more confident now. "It has the usual anti-theft and forget-me-not charms. It also has a sticking mode, kind of what you did to mine on the first task. Just press the 'H' three times and it'll stick to your skin until you click it three times again. It can also change length so it can be as short or long as you want it to be. The gemstone that's used to create the 'H' is also charmed. If you're using it and mentally will it to change into any other colour, it will change. I chose periwinkle since it's your favourite colour."

"How did you know periwinkle is my favourite colour?" She asked surprised, she'd never mentioned that fact.

Harry just looked at her as if he couldn't believe that she'd ask him that. "Apart from the fact that you've just confirmed it to me? You're really obvious."

"I'm not obvious!" She huffed as she crossed her arms.

Harry raised questioning eyebrows at her and spoke up before she could speak up.

"Throughout the summer at the Weasleys, you used a lot of periwinkle shirts. Your study planner is always periwinkle even though you've probably had to change it every year so that's three different planners all periwinkle. Your favourite quill, also periwinkle and it's the one you use constantly and the only one you've never let anyone else use, not even me. The gift you sent me a few months ago was also periwinkle and so is your trunk as well as the cover of your diary. Honestly, those are just the most obvious signs Hermione." He rolled his eyes at her. _The nerve!_

"Wait, you know about my diary!?" Hermione asked wide-eyed. She had tried to hide the fact she had a diary from Harry and Ron afraid they would mock her for being too girly.

"Of course I know about your diary, Hermione. When we were at the Weasleys I saw it multiple times. You also used to get really nervous every time Ron joked about you doing girly stuff like writing in a diary. Honestly, for the past three years you've actually written in it while the three of us were in the common room. Granted, it only happened a few times per year but you did use it here while Ron and I were "busy" with chess or exploding snap."

"That was my planner!" She said her planned excuse before the words reached her brain.

"No. When you write in your planner you usually use it for a short time and rarely write in it at least when we're in the common room. When you use it in the common room you only use it to check your homework and cross out a specific homework when you finish it. I've only seen you write in it after class or when you're in the library. However, when you use your diary in the common room you often write a lot and extremely fast and always seem really focused on it. In your defence, it actually took me until the beginning of the third year to realize it, but once I did it was pretty obvious."

Hermione just gaped at her boyfriend for a few seconds before she remembered she still had the power of speech.

"Who are you and what have you done with Harry Potter?"

"I'm not stupid, you know?" He said exasperated and a little offended.

"But… how!? I was sure no one had noticed. And since when have you been this observant?"

"I've always been observant. You kinda have to be when…" He stopped and Hermione had a strong suspicion that he was about to mention his childhood. "When you solve mysteries for three years." He said with a smile that seemed off to Hermione.

"But still," Hermione continued, trying to recall any time she'd noticed Harry was this observant and was surprised when she realized she couldn't. "How did you hide this side from me, Potter." She said with a teasing smile, hoping to relieve the sudden tension.

Harry chuckled a little and was about to respond but was interrupted when they heard the sound of an owl hitting the window with its beak. Both of them turned to look at them and saw Errol. Harry stood up and went to open the window. The owl surprised Hermione when he gave Harry a parcel and then left.

"What is it?" Hermione asked when Harry returned.

"I don't know. I… I didn't actually think I'd get something from the Weasleys _after…_ " Harry said as he ran his hand over the package.

He slowly opened it and pulled out a note. He read it and his face immediately brightened. Hermione could tell he was fighting tears like he usually did when he got emotional. He absentmindedly handed her the note before returning his attention to the package. Hermione, unable to contain her curiosity, took a quick peek at it.

_Harry, you'll always be part of the Weasley family.  
Love, Molly and Arthur_

Hermione looked at Harry as her own eyes began to burn with unshed tears. She had never realized what Harry must have thought after Ron's actions when his name came out of the Goblet. The Weasleys were the closest thing he had to a family and Hermione now saw clearly that Harry thought that by losing Ron, he lost all of them too. And seeing his reaction towards such a small yet powerful message from Mr and Mrs Weasley broke Hermione's heart. She promised herself to make sure Harry never forgets he's not alone anymore.

Harry slowly took out the green jumper Mrs Weasley had sent him. He put it over his head and over his shirt before he turned to her.

"It's your turn now."

Hermione suddenly remembered she also had gifts for Harry and grabbed them from their spot.

"Ok, my gifts are a bit lame compared to yours but I hope you like them." She said uncertainly as she handed the first gift to him.

Unlike her, Harry didn't have the same finesse and quickly tore through the gift, pulling out the new broom maintenance kit she'd bought him.

"Wow!" Harry exclaimed as he looked at it adoringly.

"I know I already gave you one last year but this one's different. It's specifically for the _Firebolt_ and has some additions that apparently make it better. I honestly don't understand how... But apparently, they do." She shrugged and Harry looked at her giving her a huge smile before turning back to the gift with an adoring expression.

After a couple of minutes, she managed to get him to stop obsessing over it and after what seemed like a hundred thank you's, she got him to grab the second gift, once again tearing through it.

He looked at the small, black box adoringly before he opened it.

"It's a watch." Hermione started rambling out of nervousness. "I know you already have a watch but it's from the Dursleys and I'm not even sure if it works. It also has some spells. The usual anti-theft and forget-me-not enchantments but it also has more. It has a built-in _Point-Me_ spell. If you focus on the incantation all three hands will automatically point towards the north. It also has a built-in _Lumos_ spell, again just think of the incantation and the watch's face will basically turn into a flashlight. You don't even need to have a wand with you for it to work. Also, it's spelled to be waterproof, so you can wear it while you're playing that silly game even when it's raining cats and dogs." She said the last part with a sniff and stopped before she collected herself and turned to him, "Do you like it?" She asked hesitantly.

Harry looked up at her and grinned.

"I love it." He said as he removed his old watch from his left wrist and placed his new one. He took a look at his watch and smiled before looking at Hermione. "Come on, it's almost seven and I'm famished." He pecked her on the lips as he stood up and helped her up.

She just knew today was going to be perfect.

* * *

"Ah! Stupid hair!" Harry half-shouted in resignation as he stopped trying to fight his hair and let it go back to its usual mess.

After a relatively quiet Christmas Day, Harry spent with Hermione and the others, the girls had left to get ready almost four hours before the actual ball was supposed to start. Harry, unfortunately, made the mistake of asking what they could possibly do that would take four hours. Needless to say, he had learned that sometimes ignorance is bliss.

About an hour before the ball was supposed to start, Harry and Neville both decided they should start getting ready by then and take advantage of the fact that the other three boys were all going to wait until the last possible moment to change.

So the duo took their time showering and getting ready. Twenty minutes later, they were both as close to being as ready as possible. Harry was sporting a white shirt with a set of black, classy robes made from acromantula silk with his new black formal shoes. Neville was in a set of similar robes, but his were navy blue instead of black.

Harry gave a huff as he set the hairbrush on top of the bathroom sink. He had been trying to make his hair yield for the past five minutes but no matter what he did, his hair stayed as messy as always.

Harry cursed whatever deity doomed him with his stupid, messy hair.

"What's up?" Neville asked as the laces of his brown shoes.

"It. Just. Won't. Stay. Put!" Harry almost growled in frustration.

Harry had never been one to comb his hair and was usually happy with how messy it was. Before Hogwarts, it was the perfect way to hide his abnormal scar and when he reached Hogwarts… it was the perfect way to hide his _famous_ scar.

But tonight was different, it was the Yule Ball and he'd seen how excited Hermione had been about it for the past couple of weeks. So he had promised himself that he'd give her the perfect night and he wanted to look the part for her and that meant his messy hair had to go.

But his stupid hair didn't want to cooperate!

"Have you tried using Sleekeazy's?" Neville asked as if he knew what it was.

"Slee-what?"

"Sleekeazy's," Neville said simply before quickly entering the bathroom and coming out, throwing a weird, circular container at him (which he easily caught). "It's a hair potion, scoop up a bit and run it through your hair." Neville paused before looking uncomfortable. "Don't use too much, trust me, just don't."

Harry gave a weird look to his friend but didn't say anything.

He went to the bathroom and just stood there looking at the mirror. Suddenly, he just didn't want to apply it. It was stupid, just a minute ago he was complaining about how he couldn't fix his hair and now that he could… he didn't want to. And all because of that stupid scar.

He hated it. He hated what it represented, _The Boy Who Lived_. He hated how everyone always looked at the scar as if it was something out of a zoo. He hated how it was a constant reminder of what he lost. What he would give for a life without it.

He had no idea how long he just stood there before he heard someone Neville break him out of his thoughts.

"Gran always said I should be proud." His voice was quiet.

"What?" Harry asked in a bewildered tone.

Neville looked extremely reluctant, but he took a deep breath and pressed on.

"My parents… they were Aurors. The way gran describes them they were some of the best." There was a long pause before he continued. "I was staying at my gran's when it happened."

A pit formed in Harry's stomach as he listened, already sensing what Neville was about. He had always been curious as to why Neville lived with his gran instead of with his parents, but he'd never thought it was this.

"Some… _death eaters_ ," He spat with more venom than he'd ever heard from the boy before. " The _Lestranges_ and _Crouch Jr_." Harry's eyes widened at Crouch's name but Neville didn't seem to notice. "They ambushed my parents at their home one night, they… they… they…" Neville dropped his head, unable to continue.

Harry didn't know what to do. He wanted to support Neville. To tell him it was going to be alright. That they were in a better place. That the pain would go away with time... That things would get better.

But he knew that was a lie.

He knew those were hollow words that never helped.

Before he could say anything, Neville spoke up again. "It took the Aurors almost 36 hours to take the wards down, set up by those monsters, but when they did it was too late. They had been tortured with the cruciatus curse for almost 19 hours."

Harry's eyes widened as he remembered what Moody told them during class earlier in the year.

" _If you're exposed to approximately an hour of the cruciatus curse, you will have permanent nerve damage and if you're exposed to over 4 hours, you would go insane."_

"I go every Christmas day to see them and every time gran tells me the same thing: 'You should be proud of them, Neville'." There was another pause before he looked at Harry. "I am proud of them. I'm proud of what they did and how they stood up to… to Voldemort. I'm proud to be their son." He said in a steely tone before whispering. "I just can't help but wish they were here."

He wiped a tear that was running down his cheek and sniffed.

"What I'm trying to say is that I understand… I know how you feel."

Harry nodded as he looked at Neville in a completely different light.

"We're gonna make them proud, Nev." Harry promised in a quiet voice.

Neville gave him a half-smile before he went to the other sink and began brushing his hair as well.

Harry looked at himself in the mirror and wondered about his parents. He began thinking about how different things would be if they were alive. He imagined the perfect childhood where his father taught him how to ride a broom and passed down his passion for quidditch and pranking. A childhood where his mother taught him about both the muggle and wizarding world and passed down her thirst for knowledge. A childhood where they dropped him off at Platform 9 ¾ with hugs and kisses and where he returned to his home every summer, talking about all his adventures and friends.

But the more he looked at his reflection, the more he saw the truth. That perfect childhood was a dream. It was a fantasy, a sad kid with too much imagination playing make-believe with. Because no matter what he did or how hard he tried, his parents would never come back. He would never have that childhood he craved just like he would never be plain old Harry.

He shook his head as he sent those thoughts away. He wasn't going to ruin this day with his self-deprecating thoughts or his idiotic sensibilities.

He grabbed the Sleekeazy and applied a little bit to his hair. Thankfully that seemed to do the trick and he was able to comb his hair and let it stay that way.

Ten minutes later Harry and Neville were going down to the common room, they still had plenty of time before the Ball started but the dorm got crowded by Dean, Seamus, and Ronald so the duo decided to wait downstairs and read to pass the time.

The common room was mostly empty, except for a decent amount first and second years and some third years who didn't have dates. It wasn't long before he felt like he was being stared at. He tried taking a discreet look around and saw more than a few younger kids staring at him... staring at his _scar_. And the ones that weren't outright gawking at him were murmuring to each other, no doubt about him.

Harry fidgeted in his seat as he tried his hardest to ignore the murmurs and stares. He was about to go to a formal ball where he would no doubt be photographed and stared at constantly, and yet here he was unable to take the stares of a few kids, from his own house and younger than he was. He just knew he was about to have a horrible time at the Ball.

Just as he was focusing again on his book he heard movement from the girl's staircase and immediately looked up to it, hoping it would be Hermione. Unfortunately, he was disappointed that it was just Ginny coming down. He was about to go back to his book when he noticed how she was gawking at him too. She first looked him over before settling on the damn scar with a look of pure adoration that made him incredibly uncomfortable.

He turned back to his book and was thankful when Ginny didn't join him and Neville, but he still felt her eyes on him.

"Hello, boys." He heard Lavender's voice call out after nearly fifteen minutes of uncomfortably reading while tuning out the attention he was receiving.

Harry looked up and saw the blonde walking towards him elegantly wearing a burgundy dress held up by the shoulders that fit her well. Behind her, Parvati was wearing a black outfit, the likes of which he had never seen before but which showcased a bit of her waist and he felt Parvati was particularly very graceful as she walked towards him and Neville as she mumbled something about how walking in a _saree_ is a bit scary and realised that's what her outfit was called.

It was then that a faint memory of catching a glimpse of a movie on the television at Mrs Figgs place came to his mind, where he saw a lot of Indian women had been wearing similar outfits as the old lady had surfed through the channels before she found one that played the music that her crazy cats liked.

"You two look nice," Harry called out as he stood up to greet them before noticing Hermione wasn't there. "Where's Hermione?" He asked as soon as Neville reiterated his statement and both girls gave him knowing smiles.

"You miss her already?" Lavender teased, earning a glare from him. "She'll be down soon, she's just finishing up some last minute touches." She looked around and rolled her eyes. "Dean is still upstairs, isn't he?"

"I'll go tell him you're already down here." Neville offered before walking towards the stairs to the boy's dorm room.

"Sooooo…" Parvati drawled as her eyes sparkled impishly. "You ready to see your gorgeous girlfriend?"

"She's always gorgeous, I'm used to it." He gave an exaggerated shrug.

"Good answer," Lavender said with a smile before leaning in and whispering in his ear. "But I don't think you're ready for her tonight."

The three of them (and Neville and Dean when the boys came down ) had a bit of small talk before Lavender nudged his arm. He looked towards the girl's staircase and was greeted with the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen, causing his jaw to drop hard onto the ground.

Standing nearly at the bottom of the stairs was Hermione wearing a gorgeous periwinkle dress that fit her perfectly, looking more stunning than ever before. Her hair, which had been a little less bushy these past few months, was curly in all the right ways. She was also wearing the necklace he'd given her earlier today, the periwinkle 'H' glinting brightly just above her chest. He finally settled on her face and saw that she was also giving him an once over before she finally met his eyes and smirked lightly at him! _The nerve of her!_

Neville gave him a slight push towards her and Harry, only now realizing he could do more than just stand there and ogle at his girlfriend, started slowly moving towards her with the largest smile he'd ever had on his face. When he reached her, he noticed she was wearing light make-up that was perfect to accentuate just how beautiful she already was and Harry quickly noticed that her teeth seemed to be smaller than they were a few hours ago.

"Y-you look..." _Beautiful, gorgeous, amazing, incredible, stunning, divine, magnificent._ His brain kept trying to give him words but his mouth wouldn't cooperate, so he just stared at her with a look of utter awe and his mouth open.

"Use your words, Harry." She said cheekily with a mischievous smile he knew one day would be the death of him.

He was amazed he could hear her softly uttered words over the roaring of blood in his veins, the way his heart thundered in his chest that it seemed to deafen his ears. He briefly wondered if the butterflies in his stomach would kill each other with the way they were fluttering about and decided that he didn't care, so long as he could stare at Hermione like this forever.

Then it occurred to him she was patiently waiting for him to say something.

"Perfect." He breathed out and she blushed, smiling nervously at him. He straightened up and shot her what he hoped was a charming smile as he offered her his arm.

"My lady." He said endearingly as he looked at her with pure warmth.

She rolled her eyes as she grinned and blushed before taking his arm. "My lord." She said with a chuckle, a beautiful sound for Harry's ears.

"Did he drool?" Lavender teased as soon as they arrived.

"I don't drool," Harry said with a mock-glare.

"Yeah, and I'm top of the year in DADA." Neville joined in sarcastically.

"You're just jealous you don't have a gorgeous girlfriend like I do." Harry shot back and sensed Hermione blushing but she snuggled closer nonetheless.

The group continued talking while they waited on Dean who was chatting with a blonde girl Harry didn't know, but he still felt the attention of the group on them. Some of the girls (including Ginny) were looking at Hermione with odd expressions on their faces while the rest of them were looking at his scar. They weren't even being subtle about it, with some leaning over to get a peek while others standing up completely and moving around the common room so that the other's weren't blocking the view.

He ignored the attention as much as he could as he nudged Hermione slightly closer to him. She willingly complied and even leaned her head on his shoulder at one point, her alluring vanilla scent calming him down and helping him ignore all the unwanted attention.

Five minutes later Seamus and Ron came down the stairs. Ron immediately crossed the common room and approached a girl Harry knew was in Ginny's year but couldn't remember her name. Seamus went to Ginny and they went straight for the exit instead of sticking around while Dean walked towards them.

"Hey guys," Dean said cheerfully after Lavender wrapped her hand around his arm.

"Hey!" Was the cheerful reply from everyone in the group except for Harry, something Dean didn't miss.

He looked at him, then at his hair before settling back on his scar.

"Nice haircut, Harry." He said never taking his eyes off of his forehead.

Harry, suddenly aware of his scar again, wanted to fidget uncomfortably but instead, he stood up a little bit taller and ignored the urge.

"Thanks, Thomas." He answered curtly before turning to Hermione, who was giving him a curious look. "We should get going, Cedric told me they wanted photos of the champions before the actual Ball starts."

Harry didn't miss Lavender looking at him intently but he ignored it.

Hermione nodded but kept looking at him. The six made their way through the common room as he tuned out all the murmurs and stares and just when they reached the portrait and they were leaving Hermione grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

"Wait, I forgot something." She looked towards Lavender and Parvati with an unreadable expression. "You guys get going, we'll catch up with you."

Lavender and Parvati gave each other hesitant glances before agreeing and the four left. As soon as they did Hermione took charge as she basically dragged him across the common room and towards the boy's stairs. They ascended the stairs and just when they were out of sight Hermione abruptly stopped and turned towards him. Before he could even open his mouth she started messing up his hair rather quickly.

"Hey hey hey hey! What are you doing?" He asked as he gently grabbed her arms, after all, he'd combed his hair just for her and here she was messing it up.

She just rolled her eyes at him, shook off his hands, and continued messing it up. After a couple of seconds, she stopped, admired her work, and made sure to grab his fringe and bring it down so that it covered his scar.

"Perfect." She gave herself a nod of approval. "Let's go." But before she could go back down he stopped her.

"What?" He asked completely befuddled and Hermione looked at him as if he were stupid.

"I saw how uncomfortable you were with everyone down there staring at your scar." She said as if it was obvious before her face took a tender expression. "You don't need to change yourself for me, Harry. I want you like this - messy hair, idiotic flying, reckless stunts, and all." She gently cupped his cheek before glaring at him and poking him on the chest. "You're more than your stupid scar to me, Harry James. Don't you forget that." She said in the bossy voice he'd never thought would be attractive... but it was.

Overcome with emotion he just engulfed her in a hug as he buried his face into her neck. Here was this perfect girl, who was not only drop-dead gorgeous and his best friend, but a person who saw him as ' _Just Harry_ '. A girl who's the only one who has always seen him for who he is, not for who people want him to be.

He pulled back and kissed her with all the love he felt for her at the moment. How did he get so lucky to have her? After a couple of minutes, he pulled back and beamed at her dazed expression before looking down at her mouth, her teeth were definitely smaller.

"You know you didn't have to change your teeth for me, right?" He said sincerely and she smiled at him.

"I know," She answered and Harry could see no lies in her eyes. "I've been wanting to do it for a while now and when I told Lavender that she dragged me to Madam Pomfrey. My parents wanted me to go through the whole braces process but to be honest the magical process was much better." She then chuckled. "Good thing I won't see my parents until the summer, it gives me enough time to come up with an excuse."

"Yeah, that's good." Harry gave an awkward chuckle as he ran his hand through his hair before he offered her his arm and they descended the stairs and headed towards the portrait, but before they reached it Harry spotted Colin sitting there with his camera.

"Hey, Colin!" The third-year turned eagerly towards him and Hermione gave him a curious look. "Would you mind taking a few pictures of us? I'll pay you for the copies."

The boy looked like Christmas had come for a second time today as he nodded eagerly.

Five minutes and like thirty pictures later (which Colin promised to have by the next weekend) the couple left the common room, as other Gryffindors started queuing up with their dates to get clicked by a very happy third year. Soon they made their way to the Great Hall and could already see the brilliance of the decor that enraptured them.

"Potter, Granger. Good for you to join us." Professor McGonagall called out to them in a stern tone as soon as they reached the entrance of the Great Hall.

Standing just outside the door was Cedric, sporting ivory robes, accompanied by Cho who was wearing a pretty silver dress. Talking to them was Krum, who was donning formal black and red robes, and beside him was a very happy Fleur, who was wearing a graceful bronze dress that made her look great, but nowhere near as stunning as Hermione.

He noticed Fleur was standing close to Krum and suddenly it clicked with him why Fleur and Krum always arrived and left together and those weird moments between them while the four hung out.

Harry felt like such an idiot since he prided his skills of observation, but clearly, he still needed some work when it came to noticing things like that.

"Yes, well. What can I say? You insisted I attend a few weeks ago and who am I to disappoint?" Harry shot back before he even realized what he was saying.

Professor McGonagall clearly wasn't amused.

"Go join the other champions, Potter. The photo session for the _Daily Prophet_ should start soon." She said cooly.

"Sure!" He called out in fake cheerfulness. "Just what I need. More pictures they can use for the headlines meant to bash me and my friends." McGonagall seemed to look just slightly apologetic at that but he quickly walked away and towards the champions.

"'Arry! 'Ermione!" Fleur greeted them when they arrived.

"Hey, guys!" Harry and Hermione greeted and after everyone greeted each other Krum looked around before leaning in.

"Haff you guys figured out the egg?" He asked and the three champions shook their head in negation, making Krum smile. "Put it under vater. That's the only way you can listen to it."

Hermione's eyes sparkled with possibilities and he was sure that a part of her wanted to go open the egg right now but she refrained from doing so. Cedric and Fleur were also in deep thought before Cedric looked up to the group.

"Should we work on the task together?" He asked with an uncertain tone.

Harry had never considered it, and if he were honest, he wouldn't mind. But he would leave it up to them. Fleur looked pensive yet reluctant and Krum looked indifferent while Cedric looked at the three of them expectantly.

"I zink…" Fleur began slowly. "We should do ze tasks by ourselves. Now zat we all know 'ow to decipher ze egg, we are all on ze same playing field so it would be fair. Besides," She said while looking at Krum with an impish smile. "Where's ze fun if it's not a competition anymore?"

"Very well then," Krum said while smiling at Fleur. "So it's agreed after this ve don't talk about the second task."

The four champions nodded and a couple of moments later, Professor McGonagall came for them to guide them to the photo shoot.

After what Harry considered the worst thirty minutes of his life as he was photographed every way possible. Alone, alone while holding his wand, with the other champions in every combination possible, with Hermione in multiple different positions and scenarios, with Professor McGonagall, and finally with Professor Dumbledore.

Harry was sure that he would rather fight another Hungarian Horntail rather than participate in another photo shoot.

It was a slightly grumpy Harry who was waiting with Hermione (who was amused at his grumpiness) and the other champions while waiting so that they could make their grand entrance. Professor McGonagall had already explained to them when they would enter and in what order, but they still had to wait more time.

He didn't know who had it worse, the champions with their photo shoots or the others who had to wait for a long time without doing anything.

 _Definitely us._ He thought as PTSD flashbacks of the photo shoot crossed his mind.

"You alright?" Hermione asked him and he could sense a slight nervousness in her tone.

 _Idiot!_ Harry mentally berated himself as he smiled, completely thinking about his beautiful girlfriend.

"I have the best, most beautiful girl with me. I'm perfect." He said genuinely and Hermione beamed at him before leaning in and giving him a lingering kiss on his cheek.

"Besides, the worst part is done." He said brightly. "No more photographs." He stared into the distance with a pleased smile.

"You do know there are going to be people taking pictures of us when we enter, and when we dance, and when we eat, and when we talk, an-" Hermione only got more amused when Harry interrupted her.

"Gah! Why. Do. They. Need. So. Many. Damn. Photographs!" He complained before pouting.

"Because the wizarding world can't get enough of your handsome face," Hermione said cheekily before leaning in and kissing him for a couple of seconds.

"Oh, please. We all know all the cameras will be focused on the most gorgeous girl here." Harry said as he leaned his forehead on hers and she beamed at him.

"Get a room you two!" Cedric called out to them, completely ruining their moment.

"Zey already 'ave if 'Arry's 'air 'as anything to say," Fleur said mischievously and the other champions (plus Cho) laughed at the two of them who were now blushing.

Thankfully they were saved when the doors to the Great Hall opened and Bagman's voice called out.

"We have the Durmstrang Champion, Viktor Krum!" The crowd cheered and after a second Bagman's voice boomed over them. "Who is escorting the lovely Beauxbatons Champion, Fleur Delacour!"

The two of them walked inside and the cheers just grew louder.

"Next we have the first Hogwarts Champion, Cedric Diggory!" Bagman called out after about half a minute. "With his date, the lovely Ms Cho Chang!"

The couple entered and Hermione took Harry's arm.

"Ready?" She asked him, beaming.

"Ready." He returned the smile and hers got even wider.

"And finally we have the youngest champion and the second Hogwarts Champion, Harry Potter!" The cheers for him were the loudest and Harry internally fumed at how fake and hypocritical the wizarding world was but quickly pushed those thoughts away. "With his date, the lovely Ms Hermione Granger!"

Harry and Hermione started walking in unison towards the Great Hall and were greeted by an amazing sight. The Great Hall had been expanded to over twice it's size. In the middle, the path was open for them to walk straight to where the Head Table used to be but now was occupied by a large round table where the other champions and judges were waiting.

Where the house tables used to be now there were many large round tables where students from Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons were seated. There also seemed to be a special section for high ranking members of the three ministries. In between the round table for the champions and the tables for the students was a massive dance floor where Harry knew he would spend most of his night, and was surprised when he realized he was looking forward to it.

Harry and Hermione were soon assaulted by dozens of bright flashes of light created by cameras from reporters but he focused on the girl beside him, smiled, and kept walking. He looked around the tables and saw that there were a lot of surprised students gawking at them. Harry knew most of them were just realizing what he realized months ago, Hermione Granger was the most beautiful witch around. And Harry couldn't be happier that she was his.

Harry turned to her and beamed at her awed expression. She must have noticed that he looked at her because she turned to look at him and shot him a dazzling smile that made his insides do backflips.

They walked around the dance floor and reached their table and Harry was thankful that the champions had left some seats for them in the middle rather than towards either end of the table. Harry sat beside Cedric while Hermione sat besides Fleur.

Dumbledore stood up from his chair and put his wand to his neck. "Let the feast… begin."

As soon as he said it, a menu appeared in front of everyone. Harry looked at Dumbledore and the Headmaster just winked at him before sitting down.

Harry grabbed the menu and browsed it before finding what he wanted. He had noticed people saying the name of their food so he decided to do the same.

"Pork chops!" Harry was surprised when the dish instantly appeared in front of him. "I love magic." He whispered and saw Hermione shake her head and smile at him when he did.

Dinner went by reasonably quickly. Hermione was talking quite a bit with Fleur and Krum about Beauxbatons's and Durmstrang's respective study plans and how they were different from Hogwarts's, while he was talking with Cedric and Cho about missing Quidditch, a pain his fellow seekers understood all too well. He didn't fail to notice the way Crouch was glaring at him throughout the night but he ignored the man.

He suddenly sensed movement from his right and saw from his peripheral vision how Hermione was trying to stick her fork in his food. With one hand, he moved the plate away while with the other he lightly slapped her hand.

"Ow!" She exclaimed indignantly while rubbing her hand.

"That's what happens to thieves like you," Harry said smugly and she pouted as the other teens looked at them with amused expressions.

"It's my right as your girlfriend to steal your food." She said indignantly and tried to use her fork again to steal more of his food but he once again moved the plate further.

"You already stole my jerseys and my heart," He said with a cheeky grin, making her blush. "You can't have my food too."

"But I'm hungry." She pouted dramatically.

"You have your menu! You can order more food!" He exclaimed good-naturedly. "You just want to be a thief." He huffed in mock-exasperation.

"Fine!" She grabbed the menu while mumbling about 'selfish boyfriends' and ordered another plate of Guinea Fowl.

Just as she was about to dig in Harry smiled impishly before quickly stealing a small piece and dramatically making a show of savouring it while Hermione gawked at him in outrage.

"You- you thief!" She exclaimed wide-eyed as Krum and Fleur laughed.

Harry just smirked at her before returning to his own food.

After that, both of them were especially careful with each other and foiled their attempts to steal each other's food, much to the other champion's amusement. As soon as he was done he grabbed his plate and placed it on top of Hermione's plate, which was now empty, causing her to narrow her eyes at him.

Soon enough, everyone was done with their food, and the champions (with their partners) moved towards the dance floor. Each champion took a spot on a completely different side of the dance floor and waited. He grabbed Hermione's hand and placed his other on her waist, immediately loving how it felt to hold her that way but still slightly nervous since this was the first time he had such an audience.

Hermione must've noticed since she squeezed his hand.

"Focus on me." She said with a reassuring smile and he nodded.

This would be like any other time when he danced with Hermione in the empty classrooms. There was only him and her. The others didn't matter. Harry closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and looking into his girlfriend's beautiful chocolate eyes and immediately smiled.

Soon enough the music he'd been hearing constantly for the past few weeks during their dancing lessons started and Harry immediately began moving. Having practised this to death, Harry and Hermione moved gracefully around the dance floor as he led the dance.

His eyes never left hers, even as they did the more complicated parts of the choreography like when he picked her up and twirled her for a moment. Her eyes were addictive, shining with a bliss and ecstasy that he only saw in her eyes when they danced. Seeing her this happy only made him happier, which only made her happier. It was a vicious cycle that left them both grinning like idiots and he loved every second of it.

As the dance went on he felt them slowly coming closer and closer together, Hermione's face only a couple of inches away from his by the end of the song and he loved it. He loved having her this close, he loved looking at her gorgeous face and into those beautiful eyes, he loved how elated she seemed and how natural they moved.

He'd be damned if he didn't dance with Hermione Granger after tonight.

The end of the dance reached and he twirled her away from him like he was supposed to. But instead of ending it like that, he decided to twirl her back towards him. Letting go of the hand he had been holding, he put it around her waist, as he pulled her closer and to his delight, Hermione snaked her arms around his neck, smiling as she did so and any trace of any distance between them was eliminated, as they started swaying slowly, he leaned into her, as he softly whispered,

"This is the best Christmas of my life. Thank you."

She beamed at him and hugging him quickly, placed her head on his shoulder as she murmured her reply.

"This is the best Christmas of my life too, Harry."

All around them people were applauding and pictures were being taken but he didn't care, his only focus was the girl in his arms.

It didn't take long before another song, (a less formal song) started playing and the dance floor started getting filled with other couples. Harry slightly pulled back from Hermione and grinned at her.

"Ready for another dance, Miss Granger?"

Hermione gave him a knowing smile. "What happened to you? I thought you hated dancing?" She asked cheekily.

Harry grabbed both of her hands and started moving them back and forth, first slowly but building a steady pace. Hermione started off smiling but eventually giggled as he picked up speed.

"Oh, I hate it." He said with a grin as he started moving more freely. "Completely abhor it. It sucks." As he said this he twirled Hermione with one hand before grabbing the other hand again and pulled her close again, his hand swiftly moving to her waist while she put hers atop his shoulder. "But I would be a bad boyfriend if I didn't give you a few dances." In all of this, the idiotic smile never left his face.

"Oh, yes, a completely terrible, horrible boyfriend indeed," Hermione said sarcastically as she suddenly decided to twirl him around.

 _The nerve of this girl!_ Harry thought and yet, he couldn't help but laugh as she twirled him around.

"It's clear you hate it. You can't stand it." She said sarcastically as they returned to the usual position with his hand on her waist.

"Completely." He breathed out as he pulled Hermione as close to him as he was comfortable with all the cameras and reporters around.

Harry had no idea how long they danced. He quickly lost count of the songs as he danced with Hermione. He didn't know how she did it, but he couldn't help but get lost in her perfect chocolate eyes, the way she smiled and laughed and everything she was. Hermione Granger was the only person out there that could make him forget what world he lived in by just looking at him.

They danced for an eternity. They had their slow dances where they just stared at each other with pure adoration in their eyes. They had their fast dances where Harry enjoyed and laughed like never before. He twirled her, he picked her up as he whirled the two of them around, she twirled him and sometimes he even twirled himself towards her. He didn't care how many people were looking at them with odd expressions nor how stupid he looked, he was loving it and so was Hermione and that was all that mattered to him.

After the eternity they danced, he pulled her as close as he could and leaned his head on top of her shoulder while she did the same. He basked in how she felt in his arms as they swayed around the dance floor slowly. He fell in love with her a million times over. Her smile was dazzling and made him grin broader. Her eyes were chocolate pools that he got lost in, her lips were so attractive and appealing, he found himself unable to stop staring at them. He had no idea how _he_ , the worthless freak, got this beautiful, wonderful girl in his arms.

Not only did she look drop-dead gorgeous and by far the most beautiful girl here, but he still sometimes felt a warm feeling in his chest when she remembered how she messed up his hair and _just knew_ that he was uncomfortable with everyone staring. He didn't try to tell her, he didn't even try to clue her in, and yet she just knew. Because that was who she was, she just understood him. She was the only person in his life who had always seen him for who he was.

_What did I do to earn this girl?_

As he held Hermione he couldn't help but wonder about his parents. Were they just as madly in love as he was with Hermione? Did they dance like he and Hermione just did? Did they joke around and tease each other as he did with Hermione? Was his relationship with Hermione similar to theirs?

He once again got lost in thoughts of how different his life with his parents would have been before he thought back to the Christmases with the Dursleys.

Christmases he spent in his cold, dark, dingy cupboard with nothing more than an old, small blanket as they celebrated and laughed and had a good time while he cried himself to sleep. He thought back to the Christmases when he was older, where he was let out of his cupboard only to be used as a cook the whole day and a waiter the whole night, only to be told to go back to his cupboard when there was no work left.

He hugged Hermione tightly to him and she reciprocated. He remembered all those years in hell, years where he was used as nothing more than a slave, where he was starved and locked in his cupboard, where he was beaten when he made his uncle incredibly mad, where he was reminded daily how much of a worthless freak he was and how useless his parents were.

He thought back to those ten years in hell. Years where he was sure life would never get better. Years where he was sure he would never be happy. Years where he would go to sleep wishing he could escape, willing to give anything in exchange for his freedom from the Dursleys. But as he enveloped Hermione in his arms and breathed in her enticing vanilla scent he knew how wrong he was.

As much as he wished he didn't have to suffer through those ten years of hell, he would go through them ten times over if it meant being with Hermione again. Because this girl was worth it. This girl was everything and she was his and he would give anything and everything he could to keep it that way. Because he knew that as long as he had her, it would be worth it. As long as she ended up with him he would suffer through all of it again with a smile on his face because this girl was worth all of that. It wasn't even close.

He gave a content sigh as they swayed around to the music while holding each other.

He would give her the world… she deserved that and so much more.

After yet another eternity she pulled back and gave him a smile.

"Come on," She said with a tired sigh. "I'm knackered, I need a break."

Harry chuckled but complied as he hooked arms with her led her out of the crowded dance floor. As soon as they were out he looked around and spotted Neville, Lavender, Parvati, and Dean seating near the edge of the dance floor and steered them towards them.

"One hour! One hour! How can you dance that long!" Lavender exclaimed at them when they arrived.

Harry's eyes widened and he looked at Hermione, who was also looking at him with the same expression. Apparently, she also didn't think they were dancing for that long.

"Lav's just jealous she only lasted ten minutes dancing," Parvati said as she elbowed her friend. "You two were so cute out there." She teased and they both blushed at that.

"Well, it was amazing," Hermione said as she sat down and shot Harry a dazzling smile which he reciprocated before looking towards the group.

"Drinks? Anyone?" He asked and Lavender quickly stood up.

"Yes, let's go." She grabbed his arm and began manoeuvring him towards the drink table.

"But I don't even know how many drinks to grab," Harry said but she didn't seem to care as she didn't stop.

"Are you really that excited about drinks?" He teased as soon as he got there while he began serving five drinks.

"Thomas?" She asked him with an arched eyebrow.

Harry looked at her with a questioning eyebrow. "I think you've had enough drinks already. I'm Harry, you know, the Gryffindor seeker with messy hair and a charming personality." He grinned at her before turning back to the drinks.

"You know what I meant, Harry. Don't act stupid." She scolded him as she grabbed another cup and began serving the sixth drink.

"What of it?" Harry sighed.

"You could have called him Dean." She said sternly.

"Yeah, and he could've not laughed at me or called me a cheating liar for weeks but hey, none of us are perfect, right?" He said sarcastically without taking his eyes off of the drinks he was serving.

"He hangs out with Seamus and Ron and Seamus has been his best friend for the past three years." She persisted. "You know it was peer pressure. He just didn't want to become an outcast."

"An outcast like us, you mean." He shot back. "So he didn't have the balls of a Gryffindor and decided to be a good puppy for Seamus and Ron, and now that's my fault?"

"Don't get sarcastic with me, Potter." She warned before sighing. "Look, I'm on your side." He snorted but she ignored it. "But antagonizing people like that isn't smart."

"I know it's not smart and I didn't antagonize him." He pressed on before Lavender could continue. "I just called him his last name, what's wrong about that?"

"You've called him Dean for these past three years and now you're calling him, Thomas. It's obvious you're still pissed."

"And I'm not allowed to?" He snapped at her.

"Yes, you are." She said calmly. "But you know you at least need to act nice with them even if you're pissed, you even told me you would a couple of weeks ago!"

"And I am!"

"Look, I already told you I'm on your side and I mean it." Harry rolled his eyes at her. "I am. But you need to be smart about this, Harry. And you know it. I'm just reminding you of that. Calling someone by their last name might work for Slytherins but a Gryffindor wouldn't see it that way and if you go around calling everyone by their last name a lot of them will feel disrespected or antagonized."

"Fine, fine!" He held his arms up. "I'll be nice to your boyfriend." He said before returning to the drinks.

"He's not my boyfriend!" She glared at him.

"What do you even see in him anyway?" He asked as he turned to look at the table and smiled when he saw Hermione laughing with Neville and Parvati.

"Nothing." She answered quickly. "Look, he's just good at snogging, that's it." Harry's head snapped instantly towards Lavender, causing her to laugh.

"You two have snogged!" He exclaimed, eyes wide and she giggled more.

"It was just once after he asked me out to the Ball, ok? It was nothing. Although… I'm hoping we could do a repeat today." She said mischievously as she looked towards the table.

"I don't need to know what you do or who you do it with," Harry said as he shook his head and got rid of the image of his friend and Dean kissing.

"Oh, please." She rolled her eyes at him. "It's not as if you and Hermione don't snog constantly. I have to deal with you two suddenly entering the common room looking like you just snogged for hours." She grabbed three cups and began moving towards the table and he followed her.

"I know but still… imagining you and Dean kissing was not something I needed," Harry said as he shook his head again.

"You're such a baby," Lavender said as she looked back and raised her eyebrows at him.

"Here you go." Harry gave Neville and Hermione their drinks before looking around and realizing there were no seats around.

"Here," Hermione said as she stood up. "Sit." She ordered and just when he was about to decline she raised an eyebrow at him.

Harry, knowing arguing was a lost cause and not wanting to sour their night sat on the offered chair. Just as he was getting settled in on it Hermione suddenly sat on his lap, causing him to instinctively put his arms around her middle to hold her. Harry prayed to any deity that was listening for Hermione to be still before trying to think of anything but the girl sitting on his lap, the last thing he needed right now was a reaction.

Just as he was succeeding at thinking of anything but Hermione and how his body was reacting to her sitting on his lap, the girl turned to look at him with a grin and she winked at him. Harry's jaw almost fell open at the audacity of this girl and it was at that moment his fight was completely lost.

"So, Harry?" Lavender's voice brought him out of his musings. "Are you going to offer me a dance or will I need to ask for it?" She said knowingly.

"Yes, I also want a dance, Potter," Parvati spoke up before he could answer.

Hermione huffed and glared at the two girls. "He's mine." She said in mock-annoyance and the others laughed.

"I don't know, Harry still hasn't answered so there's still a chance," Lavender said cheekily.

Harry tightened his hold on Hermione and perched his chin on top of her shoulder.

"I'm sorry girls, I'm already a taken man." Lavender and Parvati pouted in unison as Hermione snuggled closer to him and Harry could see the smug grin on her face. "I'm not dancing with anyone but Hermione."

"Not even with me?" A voice from behind called out and Harry looked back only to see Katie walking towards them with Lee. "I'm hurt, Potter! After all, we've been through, I'm wounded." Katie said over dramatically.

"Sorry, Bell. I guess you'll just have to be content with Lee over there." Harry smirked at her.

"Oi!" He called out to Harry who noticed he looked slightly dishevelled but didn't say anything. "I'll have you know I got the moves." He said proudly and Katie snuggled slightly into his side.

"Sure you do." He looked around and noticed that Fred, George, Angelina, and Alicia were nowhere around. "Where are the others?"

"Oh, they're outside… having a _great_ time," Katie said suggestively and everyone laughed.

"Did you and Lee also have a… _great_ time?" He asked with a knowing look and Katie blushed while Lee nodded at him with a proud smile.

The group continued having a great time chatting as the Ball went on. People often went for drink refills and brought them back so Harry got more than enough drinks without even having to leave his spot with Hermione on his lap. Hermione seemed oddly pleased at being sitting on his lap and he loved hugging her like that so he didn't complain, even though he knew he would have to suffer through an icy cold shower before he went to sleep.

To his surprise, Hermione also drank as much as him and was beginning to get slightly tipsy, something he was finding really amusing. The two of them drank a little bit of everything, butterbeer, gillywater, and gigglewater and it didn't take more than thirty minutes before they were both giggling like loons just because they could. It was much less quantity than what he drank at the party a few weeks ago and much less potent as well, but Harry found himself incredibly tipsy and he was glad Hermione was also drinking with him.

They were suddenly interrupted when the rest of the Quidditch team arrived, grabbed the chairs from the recently vacated table beside them, and plopped down right there with them.

"Stupid Snape," Fred grumbled as George nodded.

"What did he do?" Neville, the soberest of the group, asked them.

"We were out there… minding our business," George answered

"When he suddenly shows up," Fred continued.

"Docks points for our _extracurricular activities_ ," George followed up.

"And sends us back in here." Fred finished bitterly.

"So Snape basically cock blocked you?" Harry asked rather loudly and then he and Hermione started giggling like idiots.

"Yes," George said as he looked at him solemnly.

"Finally, someone who understands," Fred said, mirroring his brother's look.

Alicia and Angelina didn't seem amused by the twins's antics as they smacked them lightly on the back of the head, causing the whole group to laugh. Fred looked around the room before settling his eyes on Hermione, a grin crossing his face.

"Less handsome brother, are you seeing this?" Fred nudged his twin and motioned to Hermione.

George looked at Hermione before his eyes widened as a smile appeared on his face.

"I do, less intelligent brother." He said before both twins stood up in unison and began analyzing Hermione.

"She could be a polyjuiced impostor." Fred proposed as he poked her cheek.

"Or just using human transfiguration." George supplied as he grabbed a lock of her hair and looked at it intently.

Hermione started giggling like an idiot which only caused Harry to start doing the same as the twins shot them odd looks.

"Yup," Fred nodded.

"Definitely impostors." George concurred.

"We're not impostors!" Hermione tried saying seriously before devolving back to a fit of giggles.

"Yes you are," Fred said.

"Hermione Granger would never drink." George continued.

"Especially not on school grounds," Fred concluded.

"Leave her alone, boys," Alicia said as she dragged Fred back to his seat.

"It's her day off." Angelina supplied as she pulled George back to his seat as well.

"Yeah, it's my day off!" Hermione proudly exclaimed before devolving back into giggles.

"Should we stop them?" Harry vaguely heard Neville ask Parvati as he and Hermione drank more gillywater.

"Nah," Parvati immediately said. "They're fine."

Hermione huffed in response but Harry just grabbed her more tightly, pulling her towards him, and buried his face in the crook of her neck and smiled.

After a couple of moments he pulled back and looked longingly at the dance floor, he wanted to go dance with Hermione again but at the same time, he didn't want to let her go from his lap. Noting there was still a little bit over an hour and a half left he decided to rest for a bit longer, his legs may be numb with Hermione's weight but he wouldn't change having her on his lap for anything, and he wouldn't allow this to impede him from dancing more with the exquisite girl he was holding.

He looked back at the dance floor and saw all the couples there having the time of their lives. It seemed that Cedric and Krum decided to switch partners for a while as Cedric was dancing with Fleur and Krum with Cho. He looked around and saw Blaise Zabini dancing with Daphne Greengrass, though it seemed as if they were being extremely formal instead of how many others were dancing.

Harry also spotted Ernie Macmillan dancing with Terry Boot and close by Padma Patil was dancing with Susan Bones. He was surprised at first until he recalled a few times recently where both couples had seemed particularly close with their respective partners, closer than just friends.

"Oi, Harry!" George called out to him with an impish smile and he broke out of his thoughts.

"What?" Harry shouted back.

"Have you seen Ickle Ronniekins?" Fred said with a grin and nodded behind him.

Harry turned around out of a vague curiosity and saw the redhead sitting in the corner, sulking while looking extremely drunk.

"Who was his date?" Hermione asked. "I didn't recognize her."

"Kathleen Galbraith," Lavender replied as if it was obvious.

"From what I heard poor Ronniekins couldn't even get a date on his own," Fred said with a mischievous smile.

"Yeah, Ginny told us she had to hook him up with one of her friends." George continued.

"I saw Ron and Kathleen getting into a fight earlier." Parvati began. "Apparently Ron didn't want to go dance while she did."

"It seems she ended up finding a dancing partner," Alicia said as she motioned towards the dance floor.

Harry turned and saw the girl he had seen earlier and now recognized as Kathleen was dancing with a Beauxbatons student.

The group spent chatting for another half an hour before Fred and George abruptly stood up with giant grins on their faces.

"Come on," Fred said brightly.

"We're going dancing." George mirrored his brother's expression.

"All of us?" Katie asked but stood up anyway.

"Yup." Both twins chorused with Cheshire smiles.

"Come on, Potter," Hermione said as she left his lap (much too his dismay) and grabbed his hand to pull him up. "You owe me a dance."

"And I would be a bad boyfriend if I refuse." He said in mock-seriousness as he once again got lost in those chocolate pools.

"A horrible boyfriend," Hermione said with a smile as she hugged Harry by the neck and shot him a dazzling smile.

"Are you two gonna stare at each other all lovey-dovey or will you join us?" Katie asked in mock exasperation and both he and Hermione glared at the girl.

The Quidditch team and the other five Gryffindors made their way to the dance floor. While in the beginning, the music consisted mostly of songs to slow dance with a single partner that had changed. The music was now fast and people were no longer slow dancing with a single partner but were dancing as a group and completely different to how it used to be before.

They reached a spot near the middle and they began dancing and having the time of their lives. At first, everyone was in their own world, dancing either alone or with one or two people. His full focus was on Hermione as he danced with her, laughed as he twirled her around, and lost himself as he forgot about everyone around them and never took his eyes off of her and her dazzling smile.

Merlin, how he loved that smile.

After a while though, Fred and George forced them to form some kind of circle where the centre was empty until someone was pushed inside. Sometimes it was just one person and they danced to the cheers of the group, other times two people would get thrown into the circle and they would either dance individually or together. Other times a larger group of people would get thrown in, which usually resulted in shenanigans from the group and laughter from all the circle. It was so popular that even other people around them joined. At one point even Cedric, Fleur, and Krum joined in and the four champions took the centre as they danced, with Fleur even twirling Harry at some point.

Harry spent quite a bit of time in the circle. Lavender managed to get the dance she wanted with him and so did Parvati and Katie. Fleur and Cho also got pulled in the circle when he was there and they danced together too. Hermione also spent quite a bit of time inside the circle, dancing with Neville, Dean, the twins, and even Krum.

But by far the best times were when the two of them took the centre together.

Dancing with any other girl was fun and he enjoyed it, but dancing with Hermione was completely different, and so much better. He couldn't even compare them, when he was dancing with Hermione he was in blissful heaven that gave him a high like nothing before, not even flying. It was addictive and he didn't want it to stop, a lot of the times they were pushed to the middle they would have to be dragged out because they just wouldn't leave. And if Hermione's face had anything to say, she loved dancing with him just as much as he did.

_Yup, definitely not gonna be the last time I dance with you, Granger. Not even close._

It was as they were in the middle again with only ten minutes before midnight, dancing to soft music in dimmer lights, holding each other closer than they had been in any of their prior dances, crushed helpfully by the large group surrounding them that he stopped and just stared at her as she danced. She was so incredibly perfect, her chocolate eyes were captivating and enticing, her cheeks were flushed, but by far her best aspect was the gigantic smile she had plastered on her face and he just realized he hadn't seen her without it during the whole night.

She suddenly stopped and shot him a smirk.

"You like what you see, Potter?" She asked cheekily.

 _Merlin yes!_ He shouted in his head but didn't say anything, he just stared at her with pure adoration before making up his mind.

He wasn't going to let the Yule Ball end, not this soon.

"Come on," He whispered as he grabbed her hand and started guiding her away from the dance floor.

"Have fun you two!" Katie Bell called out and there were loud catcalls and cheers but Harry ignored them as he made his way out of the Great Hall and into a beautiful rose garden with an elegant fountain in the middle.

"Where are you taking me, Potter?" Hermione asked impishly.

"Somewhere nice," He answered vaguely.

"You better not be taking me somewhere to have your wicked way with me." She said with mock-sternness which was betrayed by the giggles that followed.

"Me?" He asked in a fake affronted tone. "I would never."

Both of them broke out laughing again.

"Shhhh!" Harry tried shushing through his giggles. "We're sneaking out! We can't make noise."

They rounded the corner out of sight from the few people that remained outside and Hermione immediately pushed him into the nearest tree and pinned him to it.

"I know just how to shut you up." She said mischievously as she kissed the daylights out of him.

The kiss was hot and passionate as soon as it began, her tongue immediately prodding at his lips and he opened them eagerly. Their tongues quickly participated in the perpetual battle for dominance like every time they kissed, causing them to moan out in pleasure.

Both of them gave as good as they got as they snogged each other senseless. He didn't know why this kiss felt much better than all the others, maybe it was the fact that they escaped the ball to kiss, maybe it was the fact that he'd wanted to do this ever since he saw her in the common room, maybe it was the fact that throughout the night he felt more connected to Hermione than ever before. All he knew was that for some reason this kiss was perfect.

While during their other kisses Harry felt euphoric, he couldn't even describe the feelings he was currently experiencing. His heart thundered in his chest and Hermione moaned into his mouth, pulling him closer, her nails scratching his nape as he hissed slightly but couldn't find it in himself to care about the sting as pleasure coursed through his veins. There were no words in the English language that could describe how amazingly perfect this moment was.

He kissed her back with everything he had, he poured all his desire into the kiss as his lips worshipped hers and yet he felt it wasn't enough. He wanted more, so much more than ever before and for reasons beyond his comprehension in his current state, he couldn't stop, couldn't articulate his needs as he felt and instinctively knew his vocabulary would fail him.

Hermione had never looked more beautiful than she did tonight, but as he pulled back to breathe, the sight of her swollen lips, dishevelled hair, glassy eyes and flushed cheeks as she panted heavily trying to catch her breath brought forth a sense of primal satisfaction and he dove in again. His thigh parted her legs as she whimpered into his mouth and he pressed into her as she clung to him.

He recalled all the moments from tonight. Hermione fixing his hair as she told him she wanted _**him**_ just as he was, the two of them dancing the night away and having the time of their lives on the dance floor, having her on his lap whilst he held her middle as they drank and laughed and joked around with their friends.

Harry's hands drifted towards her bum and he grabbed it appreciatively, as he gave her derrière a gentle squeeze causing Hermione to moan into his mouth which only made him want to snog her harder. One of Hermione's hands drifted from his hair to his shoulders and his back and he felt her gentle touch on his posterior, as she pulled him closer. He couldn't help but grunt out as electricity coursed through his veins when all distance between them was eliminated.

After an eternity both of them pulled away for air but Harry wasn't done, he couldn't stop even if his life depended on it, and with that sole purpose he acted on instinct and started kissing her skin. He started kissing her jaw before slowly moving down towards her neck.

Hermione's sighs and quiet yet breathless utterance of his name in his ear egging him on as she encouraged him, begged him for more and drove him crazy and wild with need and want, pushing him to the brink of insanity. All he knew was one goal, one purpose - to please her, worship her and give her all she was asking for even as all she kept repeating were the same string of incoherent words of which he only understood his name, please and the mention of more.

He surrendered to the inferno of his desire and she burned alongside him as her hands grabbed the back of his robes and pulled him closer, they directed his head where she craved the touch of his lips and he let her take from him all she demanded and asked as she aroused a hunger within him the likes of which he had never thought himself capable of.

Harry pulled her into him as much as he could as he kissed her neck and Hermione snaked her arms over his neck and pulled him deeper into her.

At some point, his glasses were knocked off but he wasn't concerned about anything else but the witch in his arms.

He reached her pulse point and for some reason he couldn't describe, he decided to not only kiss her, but he also started sucking at her skin. He was immediately rewarded when Hermione started moaning and whimpering and he felt a surge of triumph unlike any he had ever felt. Before he knew it, his hand was pulling down one of her sleeves, exposing the line of her shoulder and the porcelain skin he'd never seen before but couldn't help but explore now with his lips.

Driven by a foreign instinct, he gently bit into her soft flesh, as Hermione let out a breathy moan and he could swear he hardened more at that sound, as his eyes took in the sight of immediately reddening skin he felt heady and the sort of thrill that only flying ever gave him but this was better, so much better than flying freely and even having people cheer him on as he caught the golden snitch.

At that, Hermione yanked him back by the hair as she started kissing him again. He quickly turned the tables on her when he suddenly moved and pinned her against the tree as he started snogging her just as passionately as they were a few moments ago. Hermione let him guide the kiss and pleasure her as best as he could. Her moans and whimpers only pushed him to kiss her even more passionately than he was.

He vaguely noticed how their hands were moving of their own volition as his hands were roaming her body appreciatively while hers were doing the same. His body was reacting as he pressed against her but at this point, he didn't care. It had happened enough times during the past month that it was the norm by now and after that whole hour with her sitting on his lap he was sure she was used to it.

Nothing outside of them existed in Harry's mind. He was only focused on the kiss and the girl in his arms, everything outside of them didn't matter. On an impulse, he pulled the sleeve off of her right shoulder this time, wanting to explore it as he had its twin earlier, mark it and worship it and his eyes strayed to her chest. The sight of the titillating flesh as it heaved as Hermione breathed heavily, was his undoing. He growled and captured her mouth with a hungry kiss as one of his hands went around her waist pulling her further into him and the other tangled in her hair.

A part of him was trying to remind him of their location but he couldn't care about it, as he wasn't capable of rational thought any longer. He was acting purely on instinct as he kissed his girlfriend with every ounce of passion and love he felt for her. His lips left hers as she whimpered and were at the juncture between her neck and shoulder as reality came crashing down on them.

"Mr Potter! Miss Granger!"

Hermione squeaked as they disentangled from each other and looked wide-eyed towards the direction of the voice.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing!?"


	23. Season Of Youth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta-Read By Aani

"Mr Potter! Miss Granger!" Hermione heard a voice yell out at them and immediately squeaked.

All thoughts of the amazing time she was having with her boyfriend immediately ceased, she squeaked and immediately pushed Harry away, who stumbled backwards but thankfully remained on his feet. Realizing what she just did, she moved towards Harry once again and ducked behind him, using him as a human shield to hide.

As she fixed the sleeves of her dress while blushing furiously, Hermione peaked over Harry's shoulder and stared wide-eyed at the image in front of her.

Professor Vector was standing there, her face was stern and she was clearly unhappy with the sight in front of her, if her face was anything to go by, at least she wasn't yelling or worse, needling Harry like Professor Snape would have surely done.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing!?" The Professor exclaimed.

Both teens were too flustered to say anything as Hermione continued fixing her dress while Harry summoned his glasses from the floor, using his wand.

The Professor looked at them sternly before sighing and shaking her head. "Ten points from Gryffindor, from each of you, for staying outside past curfew."

She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as she let out a loud exhale before looking back at them.

"You two are going to wait outside Professor McGonagall's office while I inform her of the situation. She'll handle the rest. And I don't want you straying at all, am I clear? " She said genially.

"Yes, Professor." Hermione squeaked from behind Harry, doing everything she could to repress her blush.

After a couple of seconds, she heard the Professor walk away and soon enough Harry turned to her sheepishly.

"Sorry, I don't know what got into me… I just didn't go too far, I … I didn't hurt you, did I?" He asked nervously and quite clearly, mortified and scared.

"No!" Hermione quickly shouted. She was having such a great time, the Yule Ball had been perfect, it was everything she wished for and more, easily the best night of her life. What followed it only made the night even more perfect, something she didn't think was possible until it happened.

Her cheeks felt hot as she recalled the things Harry made her feel. She didn't think she could ever express in any amount of words, how she lost herself in his touches and kisses, even as she felt like she had discovered a new part of herself she hadn't even been aware of. She was thrilled, confused and unable to comprehend what happened to her, how as his lips touched her skin, she felt alive and on fire all at once. She had never felt anything like this in all her life, not even during any of the kisses she had shared with Harry before but she knew instinctively, she welcomed him and had craved what was happening between them.

The last thing she wanted was for Harry to regret it or have a bad memory of tonight.

She grabbed his hand and hid the blush that was forming on her face as she quietly whispered the words that she next did, summoning all her Gryffindor bravery even as she couldn't quite manage to look him in the eyes as she said them aloud. "I loved it… what happened, I...I wanted it too, Harry."

"Good." She heard Harry's relieved voice before he squeezed her hand. "I… err… I loved it too." Hermione looked up and saw he was smiling shyly at her as red bloomed across his cheeks too. A few moments passed before he spoke up again, his voice cheeky yet still shy. "I should've known you liked it, you were really… _enthusiastic_."

"Prat!" Hermione smacked him on the shoulder half-heartedly as she flushed with a sheepish smile.

The couple chuckled for a bit before all the tension from what just happened returned. Hermione couldn't help her racing mind as she thought about what would happen to them. Would they get expelled? Would they get detention? Would this affect their chances to be prefects next year? Would Professor McGonagall tell her parents about this? Would they try to separate her from Harry? Woul-

"Hey," Harry's reassuring voice snapped her out of her reverie. "It's going to be fine, we're going to be fine."

"You don't know that, Harry!" Hermione insisted and even as she looked at his placating face. "What if they suspend us, or expel us, or try to separate us, or tell my parents and Sirius, or-"

"Hermione," Harry reached out and cradled her face in his hands gently, interrupting her. "I promise we're going to be fine." He said in a confident yet reassuring voice.

She wanted to tell him he was wrong and give him a million reasons of why, her brain wanted to worry and think over every possible scenario and how they would handle it. But she looked at his face, it was soft and reassuring and yet at the same time it was firm, it was sure. She could detect no hint of a lie on his face and that made her believe him because this was _her_ Harry, she trusted him with her life, her mind… her soul. She trusted him with _all of her_. And she trusted him when he told her they would be okay.

"We're gonna be fine." She echoed as she nodded to herself while Harry beamed at her.

"Come on," He said with a soft smile as he offered her his hand, letting go of her face.

Hermione steeled herself as she squared her shoulders and lifted her chin before taking his hand. Harry was right, they were going to be fine because in the end she had him and he had her, and that was all she really needed.

They made their way through the rose garden and into the castle, managing to avoid the press and other foreign guests who were leaving the event. It took them about fifteen minutes to walk all the way to Professor McGonagall's office where they waited while still holding hands.

After around ten minutes Hermione heard footsteps from behind her. She couldn't resist the urge to turn her head and look back. Professor McGonagall was walking briskly towards them with an expression so stern that it bordered on a glare.

The Professor didn't even look at them as she strode past them, opened the door to her office, and walked in, not even telling them to enter. Hermione lowered her head in shame and embarrassment at clearly disappointing her favourite professor. Harry, noticing her discomfort, squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring smile before the two stepped into the office.

As soon as they stepped in, the door behind them closed rather loudly and not knowing whether they were allowed to take a seat or not they remained standing in front of the Professor.

After a couple of seconds of silence that seemed to stretch out like an eternity for Hermione, the Professor removed her glasses and looked up at them, her face a mix of sternness, outrage, and disappointment.

"Professor Vector tells me that you two decided to not only skip the Ball-"

"We were in the Gardens where students were allowed to be," Harry murmured but Professor McGonagall ignored him.

"But to also skip the curfew and participate in… _extracurricular activities_ which are not just inappropriate for teenagers your age, but you also did them in such a public and traditional event like the Yule Ball where this behaviour is strictly prohibited and unwise to do while there are dozens of reporters on the grounds."

"We were just snogging!" Harry snapped, though a little flustered. "It's not like we were the only ones out there doing so!"

Hermione tried to calm him down by squeezing his hand and rubbing her thumb on the back of it, but she knew it was fruitless.

"I know, Potter." Professor McGonagall said steely. "And every person that was caught will be properly punished for their actions."

"Well, then why are they not here!? Why are we the only ones here!?" Harry retorted.

"Because as Professor Vector tells it, this went way beyond a simple kiss. Professor Vector described, not only were you two groping each other inappropriately." Hermione blushed at instantly averted her eyes from the Professor's. "But Miss Granger was also partially undressed!"

She sensed Harry also blush at that.

"I would have _never_ believed this of you two, especially not you Miss Granger, I am extremely disappointed." Professor McGonagall said flintily and Hermione dropped her head in shame.

Professor McGonagall gave a deep sigh as she rubbed her temples with her eyes closed, seemingly trying to calm herself. Her eyes strayed to the couple in front of her and she couldn't help but notice how they held hands, their fingers intertwined and something about their stance seemed to resonate with her as her eyes seemingly stared into the distance for a while before she turned to look at them yet again, her eyes softer than before, as she closed them and took a deep breath.

After a few moments, she opened her eyes and addressed them with the softest tone she'd ever used on him.

"When you came to Hogwarts I told you that your house would be like your family and I feel that as your head of house I've been neglecting my responsibility towards you. This has to change now."

She waved her wand and in a second a tea set appeared on top of her desk. With another wave of her wand, she moved both chairs back slightly and soundlessly and motioned for them to take a seat.

The baffled couple gingerly did so as Professor McGonagall served three cups of tea.

"I'm more of a coffee person, myself." Harry said awkwardly as he ran a hand through his hair.

"This is not a buffet, Potter. You can have your coffee tomorrow morning at breakfast." Professor McGonagall retorted without even looking at him.

"Right," Harry said gracelessly.

After Professor McGonagall had given the two of them their respective cups she sat back down and addressed them.

"I'll just ask this upfront and I expect an honest answer, have you two had sexual intercourse yet?" Professor McGonagall asked matter-of-factly making Harry choke on the tea he was sipping and start coughing uncontrollably.

After a couple of moments where Hermione hit him on the back to try and help him, Harry recuperated enough to speak.

"I'm sorry, what!?" Harry choked out.

"No, Professor," Hermione spoke up and felt her face heating up. "We haven't done anything more than… err… snogging." She finished awkwardly.

"Good," She said rationally and nodded to herself. "I assume you've both had the talk?"

"Yes."

"The what?"

They answered at the same time and Professor McGonagall turned to look at Harry. "Your guardians haven't given you the talk, Potter?"She asked, surprise etched across her face.

"I'm sorry, but what talk?" Harry asked, befuddled, and Hermione turned to look at him too.

She knew things at the Dursleys were bad but she was sure that Harry was at least given something as basic and important like _the_ _talk_. She vowed herself to try to learn more about his life with the Dursleys and what he didn't know that he should.

Professor McGonagall conjured a Patronus charm, whispered something to it that Hermione couldn't quite catch, and then it left the room.

"Potter, the talk is something incredibly important that you're way overdue in having. I've just contacted Professor Dumbledore to inform him of this so he should get in contact with you in a couple of days to discuss this subject more with you."

Professor McGonagall paused and gave a deep sigh before she continued.

"It may come as a surprise to you that I wasn't always this old." She said dryly. "I was once young and in love so I know exactly what you're going through and how you feel. I'm not trying to discourage your… _extra-curricular activities._ What you do in your free time is up to you, although I do want to remind you that having sexual intercourse within the premises of Hogwarts is against the rules and _if caught_ you will be immediately expelled."

"What I'm trying to say is that you should be aware of how fast your _physical_ relationship is advancing. You are still incredibly young and that usually makes you act rashly and move too fast too soon. So I would encourage you to take a step back, think about it, and talk about it. I know both of you and trust your judgment so I will just encourage you to make sure you're ready before you keep advancing your physical relationship."

Hermione absently smiled at the praise but said nothing for her mind was focused elsewhere. She had not actually realized how fast she and Harry were moving. Everything they did just felt right and normal but she never stepped back to think about it, she was living in the blissful existence Harry provided her and didn't want to overthink her situation.

She certainly felt she didn't want to stop snogging her boyfriend or even reduce the amount of time they spent on it. She was happy where they were currently at but at the same time she didn't want to continue advancing the physical aspect of the relationship. She wasn't ready yet to make that move, not because she felt she would regret it, she would never regret Harry Potter, but she did feel that they were way too young for it.

Hermione turned slightly and observed Harry from her peripheral vision. She wanted her first time to be special but she knew she wasn't ready. And the idea that Harry's knowledge on these matters was perhaps limited to the things he might have heard from the boys in their tower concerned her too. Harry would need to understand things, though it explained his reactions to her.

Harry was driven by instinct alone and even as a part of her was thrilled that even with his raw and rudimentary understanding he was so careful and wonderful with her, always, it also explained so much. Harry wasn't just not given basic life lessons by his pathetic guardians but he was so touch starved that there was no filter when it came to her and she, despite being taught better, fell prey to her desires and his touches.

They needed to talk and discuss matters. They were blameless and yet they had erred. She didn't want Harry to make uninformed choices that concerned both of them. Harry would likely have the most awkward meeting of his life with Professor Dumbledore soon, but she was glad that he would be able to talk to someone and ask all the questions that were important for their future. So she would wait because, in the end, it would be worth it. After all, _Harry_ was worth it.

"Now, while it may be hypocritical of me to outright discourage you from continuing or advancing your relationship because of your age," Hermione's eyes widened at the implication. "I will insist that if and when you decide to take the next step you use protection. Miss Granger, since you are a muggle-born student I will teach you the various ways of magical contraception which range from protection spells to potions. Mr Potter, I will make the same offer for you but if you feel more comfortable talking with a male professor or adult about it, I will not object."

"Yes, Professor." The two of them chorused their cheeks flushing profusely even though they hadn't exchanged a single glance before they had made their replies and then as soon as they did, they exchanged a look and quickly looked away from each other.

"Alright. As I said, I trust your judgment on this but I felt this conversation was needed after what Professor Vector told me earlier. Since she already took points from you for being out after curfew I won't take anymore." Hermione sighed in relief at the fact that there were no extra punishments for them. "Do any of you have any questions?" Both shook their heads in negation. "Excellent. You may leave and remember I'll be here if you have questions or doubts I'm always available."

Both of them stood up and walked towards the door, just as Harry was about to open it, Professor McGonagall called out.

"Oh, Mister Potter." Harry turned around with a questioning eyebrow. "I expect you and Miss Granger at the entrance tomorrow at 10 am sharp."

Harry's eyes widened and shot Hermione an obvious glance. "Right. Yes. Thank you, Professor! Bye!"

And with that, Harry all but ran away from the office.

"Miss Granger, make sure he doesn't run in the Hallways, I'd hate to dock more points from Gryffindor." Professor McGonagall said in a bored voice as she focused on some papers that were on her desk.

"Yes. Good night, Professor." Hermione said quickly before power walking to catch up to her boyfriend.

It took her almost a minute before she did but when she did she immediately grabbed his arm and clung to him so as to not let him escape again.

"What did Professor McGonagall mean?" Hermione asked suspiciously at Harry who was doing everything to avoid her gaze.

"Nothiiiing," Harry said in a way that made Hermione narrow her eyes at him even more.

"Spill, Potter." She warned.

"It's nothing really, just a small gift." He whispered the last bit.

"You already gave me three gifts!" Hermione exclaimed. "I can't accept it."

"You have to," Harry said quickly. "Please, I worked really hard for it and it didn't even cost me anything." He outed a bit and gave her those puppy eyes she couldn't say no to. "Please." He pleaded innocently.

_Resist him, Granger! He's trying to charm you! He's trying to trick you! Don't give in!_

"Fine," She gave in.

_Idiot!_

She just couldn't say no to those precious emeralds.

Harry grinned at her before capturing her mouth and kissing her. The kiss was tame and just as the kiss was about to deepen, they both pulled back at the same time, clearly thinking back to the conversation with Professor McGonagall, and looked at each other sheepishly.

Neither of them could ignore the elephant in the room now.

"Soooo…" Harry began.

"Yeah…" Hermione continued.

"We need to talk, right?" Harry asked lamely, causing Hermione to roll her eyes at him. "Right."

There was a silence between them and for the first time in years, Hermione could describe one of their silences as awkward. Wanting to end the awkward silence she gingerly reached out and held his hand, smiling when he squeezed hers back.

"We do need to talk." She began carefully as she thought it through. "And we will, but we both need to think more about… well, about everything."

"Right," Harry said absently.

Hermione stopped in her tracks, making Harry stop, and looked at him intently. "Look, I don't regret anything." She said soothingly. "If I could go back, I wouldn't change a thing, you don't regret anything, right?"

"No!" Harry quickly said.

"Then we haven't done anything wrong." She said calmly. "We need to think more about how we move from here but for now we haven't done anything wrong." She squeezed his hand and snuggled towards him. "We're fine." She whispered.

"We're fine." He echoed back.

They continued leaning against each other as they walked slowly towards Gryffindor tower in a comfortable silence. After a couple of minutes, the night started taking its toll on Hermione as her feet started hurting from the heels she was wearing. A few minutes after that, Harry must have noticed since he stopped and looked at her.

"Are you okay?" He asked kindly.

"Oh, honestly Harry. I'm fine." She rolled her eyes at him. "I just need to get out of these heels."

"Why don't you take them off? You can use my shoes until we reach the common room." Harry offered and she rolled her eyes again even as a smile broke out on her face.

"And you're gonna wear my heels?" She asked coyly.

"Me? In heels? Not a chance, Granger." They chuckled as they continued walking.

"No, Harry. I'm fine." She waved him off before he could ask again.

Soon enough they reached the Gryffindor tower. As they walked into the common room, they were surprised it was still pretty full. Mostly it was older students just sitting around and talking making Hermione grateful that there wasn't an after-party going on like there usually was after a Quidditch match.

She walked towards the only empty couch alone in the corner of the common room and plopped down, immediately taking off her heels and dropping her head back in a combination of pain and relief. She felt Harry sit down beside her and hum to himself.

"Hmmm… this won't do." He said quietly, causing Hermione to look at him only to see him gazing at her feet before glancing up at her. "Give me one." He motioned to her feet.

"What? Why?" She asked with narrowed eyes.

"Just do it," Harry said with a grin.

Hermione glared at him before gingerly extending both of her feet. He grabbed them gently and placed them over his lap. Before she could ask what he was going to do, he started massaging it.

"Oh, Harry, you don't have to." Hermione started but he interrupted.

"I want to." He gave her a smile that made it impossible for her to tell him to stop, and she didn't really want him to.

She gave him a tender smile as she looked at the amazing boyfriend she had, trying to convey all the love she felt for him with nothing but her eyes. She looked around the common room and saw some people staring at them.

"Harry, wouldn't you prefer to do this somewhere else?" Hermione asked as she motioned to the others.

"Does it bother you, me giving you a massage?" He asked with concern as he stopped rubbing her feet.

"Not personally, I meant it more for you." She said softly. "I know some of them might make fun of you for doing so."

Harry shrugged before going back to rubbing her feet. "They don't matter, Hermione." He whispered before she could ask why he was continuing. "Only you matter. I'm not ashamed, Hermione, I'm not doing anything wrong, I'm not doing anything that _feels_ wrong to me; and as long as I can sleep at night knowing that I don't care about others. Besides, no one has the right to comment on what we are doing, so long as it doesn't hurt anyone here and this doesn't, it's our private matter. The people who are staring, they're mostly jealous that they don't have such a perfect girlfriend like I do."

Hermione was speechless as she just stared at Harry, wondering how she could be worthy of him. The people that were watching were definitely jealous, but they were jealous of how Harry was hers rather than the other way around. Hermione sat up and leaned in before grabbing Harry's chin and tilting his head towards her, gave him a quick yet soft kiss before she pulled back.

"Have I told you how amazing you are?" She asked as she got lost in his emeralds.

"Not nearly enough." He said with a cheeky smile as he continued working on her feet.

Hermione smiled and shook her head in amusement as she sat back, enjoying the brilliant massage her boyfriend was giving her.

She closed her eyes and sighed in bliss at the feeling Harry was providing her with nothing more than his hands. She couldn't help the quiet moans that sometimes escaped her mouth as Harry rubbed her in all the right places.

Faster than she hoped, Harry went through both her feet and provided her with the best massage of her life. By the time he finished she was laying on the couch with her eyes closed as she sighed blissfully, feeling more peaceful than she had in a while.

She once again sat up and leaned towards him, encircling her arms around his neck, gave him a short yet mind-numbing kiss. By the time she leaned back, Harry's face had drifted to the blissful heaven she loved sending him to and she smiled in self-satisfaction.

She leaned her forehead against his.

"Thank you, Harry." She breathed out. "Tonight was perfect."

"Tonight was more than perfect." He whispered back and Hermione wouldn't have been able to contain her smile even if she wanted to.

* * *

"Up!" Was the only thing Hermione heard before she felt a pillow crash hit her face.

"Ugh!" She groaned as she buried herself more into the bed. It was still too early for her, especially because she went to sleep at two in the morning last night, and the last thing she needed was Lavender throwing pillows at her face.

"Oh, is Miss I-always-get-up-at-six-in-the-morning having a sleep in?" Lavender asked in a condescendingly sweet voice and Hermione could practically hear the smirk in her face.

"Go away," Hermione mumbled to her pillow as she started falling asleep again.

"Harry will be extremely sad when I have to tell him his girlfriend blew off his surprise because she was lazy." She sighed over-exaggeratedly before her voice adopted a mischievous tone. "Or maybe he'll just find a way to get up here and throw water at your face. Either way, I think you want to wake up now." She finished indifferently.

Hermione groaned into her pillow, accepting defeat. As much as she loved that Harry had a surprise for her, she couldn't help but wish his surprise was planned later in the afternoon. She reluctantly rose from the bed, threw the pillow back at Lavender (who was already out of her nightie) and groggily walked towards the shower.

As she lazily showered and got ready for the day, Hermione started thinking about what Harry could possibly surprise her with. He said it didn't cost him anything and she knew that Professor McGonagall was going to meet them at the entrance. Knowing that they were only allowed to leave the grounds of Hogwarts for Hogsmeade she quickly realized that he was taking her there, but at the same time, he told her it didn't cost him anything.

She was extremely confused.

"Had fun with Harry last night?" Lavender's cheeky voice broke Hermione out of her thoughts as she worked on her hair.

"As if you didn't drag Dean into the nearest broom closet." She retorted without looking at the blonde.

"Oh, I did. But at least no one can prove it." Lavender responded impishly.

"No one saw us after Professor Vector caught us," Hermione replied matter-of-factly.

"Wait, Professor Vector caught you!?" She replied, half-shocked and half-excited.

"Yes, but as you can see no one knows, so there's no 'proof'" She said and stopped fixing her hair to use air quotes.

"I was talking about the hickey on your neck but forget that! What happened!?" Lavender asked eagerly as she looked at Hermione as if she was a fresh piece of gossip.

Lavender laughed as Hermione's eyes widened and she eeked, covering her neck with her shirt. She had been so distracted and sleepy that she hadn't seen the hickey on her neck. She suddenly remembered that Harry had explored more than her neck and flushed. Remembering the two of them were alone she uncovered her neck and looked for the mark and sure enough, it was there clear for all to see, causing her to start panicking.

"Don't worry, Hermione." Lavender tried reassuring her through laughs. "There's a small section on hickeys in the book I gave you."

As soon as Hermione heard that, she sprinted towards her bed and grabbed her wand and the book Lavender gave her, before running back towards the bathroom. Quickly looking over the table of contents, she easily found the section and rapidly flipped the pages until she reached that section. Skipping over the potion to completely remove love marks since there was no time to brew that, she started reading about the spell to put a glamour over them.

It took her less than a minute to read over the spell, the theory, the wand movements, and the incantation and when she did, Hermione pointed her wand at her neck and cast the spell which perfectly covered up the love mark.

"You see! Nothing to worry about!" Lavender said happily before she noticed Hermione uncovering her right shoulder and casting the spell there too.

"Another one!?" Lavender asked and Hermione ignored her before she proceeded to uncover her other shoulder and use the spell for the last time. "Well… you certainly were busy last night." The blonde said shocked before recovering. "Is Harry also hiding a couple of those?" She asked suggestively, waggling her eyebrows.

"Lavender!" Hermione exclaimed, outraged and yet she couldn't help but flush at the thought of marking Harry.

"What? I had to ask." She mumbled and Hermione rolled her eyes.

Twenty minutes later, after she was ready and had talked to Lavender about the previous night (as much as she was willing to share, at least) the two girls came down the stairs of the girl's dorm room and into the common room where Hermione quickly found Neville and Parvati talking with Harry on their usual couches.

His eyes quickly found hers and he beamed at her, a gesture she returned instantly.

"Hey there, gorgeous." He said brightly when she arrived.

"I'm not wearing the dress anymore, Harry." She waved him off.

"You look just as beautiful." He said earnestly before slightly pulling her towards him and pecking her on the lips.

"You two are so cute it's gross," Parvati said, shaking her head with a smile. "It's been like two months, when will you get out of this phase?"

"Never!" Harry exclaimed brightly as Hermione snuggled into him. "Anyways, we should probably go. It's almost ten and McGonagall will kill us if we're late."

After a few goodbyes to their friends, the couple was on their way towards the entrance with their hands intertwined.

"So... where will you be taking us today, Mr Potter?" She asked him as they were closing in on the entrance.

"I'll be taking you somewhere special." He said cryptically and Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "You're gonna know in a few minutes, I'm not gonna spoil it." Hermione gave a slight huff at that but continued walking.

Soon enough they reached the entrance where Professor McGonagall was already waiting for them. Hermione's theory of them going to Hogsmeade was proven right when the three of them walked towards the village and Hermione felt a surge of pride at figuring out Harry's plan. It was honestly incredibly easy given the fact that it was the only option but she still felt like she one-upped her boyfriend.

Or at least she did before Professor McGonagall stopped as soon as they stepped out of Hogwarts grounds.

"We're going to be apparating now. Since this is your first time, you two should prepare yourself. This could feel nauseating." She said matter-of-factly.

"Apparating?" She asked confusedly when Harry nodded and shot her a brilliant smile.

Professor McGonagall arched an eyebrow at her. "You don't know what apparating is, Miss Granger?" She asked curiously.

"No, I _do_ know, I'm just…" Hermione left off as she was thinking where they could possibly be going. "Forget it." She said and Professor McGonagall looked at her weirdly for a second before reaching for her hand.

Before Hermione could say anything she suddenly felt herself spinning and everything went black. The feeling was awful. It was as if she was pressed from all directions and she felt as every bone in her body was being pressed into her centre. Her eyes into her skull. She couldn't breathe and couldn't move, it was just the worst feeling in the world.

Thankfully, it all seemed to last no more than a couple seconds and it finally stopped, making Hermione feel like she really might vomit. It took her a few seconds to regain control of herself as the feeling of nausea passed away before she opened her eyes and couldn't believe what she saw.

Right in front of her was _her_ home, _her_ home, _her_ home in the muggle world where _her_ parents lived. She looked wide-eyed at it before she turned to Harry and couldn't help but notice that he was incredibly pleased.

"Surprise!" He said shamelessly as she was still trying to process what was happening.

"But… but… but… how?" She asked, befuddled, before turning to McGonagall. "Didn't you tell us that we wouldn't be allowed to go home if we chose to stay for the ball?"

"I did and students aren't." Professor McGonagall responded before throwing a glare at the smug Harry. "Unfortunately it seems Mr Potter managed to convince Professor Dumbledore to allow you to come see your parents."

"You did this?" She asked Harry in a whisper, not really believing he had done this for her.

"Well, I did say it was my surprise, didn't I." He joked before he turned serious. "When you told me how much you missed them on our date at Hogsmeade I called your mum through the mirrors and well… arranged _this_." He shrugged.

Hermione smiled broadly as her heart fluttered. She could not believe it, her amazing boyfriend went to these lengths just because she told him she missed her parents. Once again, just when she thought Harry Potter couldn't surprise her any more, he did just that.

"Oh, Harry." She said shakily before rushing towards him and almost tackling him with her hug.

She didn't care if she crushed his ribs with her hug, she just hugged him as tightly as she could before she stepped back.

"You." She kissed him on the right cheek. "Wonderful." She kissed him on the nose. "Amazing." She kissed him on the left cheek. "Perfect." She kissed him on his forehead. "Boy!" She pulled his head down as she kissed the crown of his head before hugging him tightly again.

Harry laughed as he hugged her back and buried himself into her hair like he always did and something she always loved. They stayed locked in their perfect embrace with smiles on their faces for a few seconds before the hug was interrupted when someone dramatically cleared their throat.

Suddenly remembering that Professor McGonagall was right in front of them she stepped back and looked sheepishly at her teacher.

"Sorry." She said a bit dejectedly.

"Hello to you too, Hermione." A voice called out from behind her, making her realize who had actually cleared their throat, causing her to squeak; as she willed her magic to make her disappear, but nothing happened.

She heard Harry speak up when she didn't react for the next couple of seconds. "Err… Hi Mr and Mrs Granger." He stammered out in an unusually high voice.

"Hello, Harry." Her mother replied gleefully. "How are you?"

"Good." He said with a high pitch.

"Aren't you going to say hello, Hermione?" Her mother asked cheekily and Hermione slowly willed herself to look at her parents.

Her mum was clearly trying to suppress her mirth at her, yet her eyes gave her away, as they gleamed impishly, while her father's reaction was the exact opposite. He was glaring at Harry. Hermione shot back a glare of her own and he must have noticed since his glare slightly faltered.

"Hey Mum, Dad." She said awkwardly before she gauchely walked towards them and hugged each of them tightly.

When she stepped back she immediately turned to Harry, who was standing awkwardly right where he had been, walked towards him, grabbed his hand and intertwined her fingers with his before basically pulling him with her.

"Mum, Dad. This is my _boyfriend_ ," She said with a glare aimed at her father. "Harry Potter."

"Hello, Mr and Mrs Granger," Harry repeated awkwardly and offered the hand Hermione wasn't keeping hostage.

"Hello again, Harry." Her mother said brightly before she completely ignored his hand and hugged him.

She instantly felt Harry tense and squeezed the hand she was still holding to try and calm him down, but it didn't seem to work. Her mother must have noticed because she stepped back and shot Hermione an almost imperceptible, hesitant glance. Hermione knew how Harry was always uncomfortable when other people, specifically adults, touched him, shot her mum a look, but she knew this would lead to some difficult questions.

"And please," Her mum continued, relieved but more hesitant than a moment ago, as her father shook Harry's hand. "You're Hermione's boyfriend. Call us Helen and Richard."

Her father looked like he didn't particularly agree with that but Hermione was thankful when he didn't say anything in protest. She had written to her mum, and giddily informed her that she and Harry were a couple a few days after it happened and wished that he'd gotten over whatever cave-man impulse men had with their daughter's boyfriend but clearly, he hadn't. Something she was going to fix today.

"Yes, Mrs Grang- Mrs Hel- Helen." He finished sheepishly before turning to her. "Anyways, I should get going. But I'll come to pick you up with McGonagall." He smiled and squeezed her hand.

Before Hermione could protest, her mum did it for her.

"Oh, no Harry. We can't let you do that. Why don't you join us?" She asked him.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly intrude, Mrs Gran-" Harry intoned.

"You're not intruding, we're _inviting_ you." She interrupted kindly.

"Yes, Harry. Stay." Hermione said with her best puppy eyes and was internally smug when she saw him falter.

"I'll come back for you two at 5 pm sharp, Potter." Professor McGonagall said, causing him to drop his head in defeat and nod, causing her to beam at him.

After Professor McGonagall disapparated with a pop, her mum turned towards her and Harry.

"So, brunch?" She asked them.

"Yes, please. I'm starving." Hermione replied and Harry shyly nodded in agreement.

"Excellent! Let me just get a few things ready before we leave." She replied before the four of them walked towards the house.

"Wow!" She heard Harry breath out when they entered. "It's amazing!"

Hermione didn't know how to respond, she really didn't see it as amazing. There wasn't anything, in particular, she thought made it amazing or extraordinary, it was just home. So she squeezed his hand and gave him a smile.

"Thank you, Harry." Her mum answered for her as she made her way to the living room where she started rummaging through her purse.

"Hey Mum, can you keep Harry company while I talk to dad for a second?" She gave her mother a significant glance and she was thankful when she caught on.

"Sure thing, honey." She turned towards Harry. "Harry, would you mind helping me get some files out of the car?"

Harry shot her a glance before looking back at her mum. "Yes, Mrs Granger."

"Great! Come on, Dad." Hermione reluctantly let go of Harry's hand before walking out of the living room with her dad following her to the study.

"What do you want to talk about?" He asked curiously as soon as he closed the door.

"About you," Hermione replied curtly.

He scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion. "What about me?"

"About you going all; 'Beware my wrath, I'm Richard Granger, and I have to protect my daughter from her evil boyfriend." She said with a glare while using an over-exaggerated deep voice.

"I was not being like that." He huffed and crossed his arms.

"Yes, you were." Hermione sighed before adopting a softer voice. "Harry's my boyfriend, my best friend, and a really good guy, so please just give him a chance and try to be nice to him."

He looked reluctant.

"For me?" She asked sweetly and he relented.

"Fine, fine. I'll be nice." He raised his hands in mock surrender.

"Good," She huffed. "Because otherwise, you were going to have a very angry daughter."

Soon after that, the two of them left the study and walked back to the living room where they found Harry and her mother sitting on two separate couches. Her mum was laughing while Harry sat there blushing, with a smile.

"What are you two talking about?" Hermione asked suspiciously and both of them turned to look at her.

"Oh, nothing much." Her mum shrugged with a smile before turning to Harry. "Right, Harry?" She finished off with a wink.

"Right," Harry said as he nodded to himself and smiled bashfully, causing Hermione to huff and her mum to laugh.

"Alright you three, I'm going to go finish up getting ready. I'll be down here in fifteen minutes." She said cheerfully before leaving.

Hermione shook her head at her mother as she sat down next to Harry and actively avoided snuggling into him like she always did in the common room, instead she just opted for grabbing his hand.

"Honestly, she's just like Lavender," Hermione said as she rolled her eyes. "The number of times I've had to wait for her to get ready."

"You and she are really alike, you know." Her dad spoke up as he sat on the couch where her mother was sitting a moment ago. "Both of you are incredibly smart, obsessed with books, extremely determined, and the best girls I know."

"I guess she is like me… even if she's a Lavender version of me." Her dad gave her a look. "Lavender's a friend, a friend who's really into make-up, and fashion, and all of that." She said with distaste.

Her dad laughed at her while Harry gave a small chuckle. "Your mother may be really into that right now, but I remember when she was your age. She hated all of that just like you do and look where she ended up."

"I will not end up like that." She pouted.

"We'll see in twenty years." He said with a grin.

There was a brief moment of silence before her father gave a small, almost imperceptible, sigh and turned to Harry.

"So, Harry. Hermione's told us a lot about you." He said a bit formally.

"Hopefully nothing bad." He gave an awkward chuckle at that.

"I think it would be impossible for Hermione to say a bad thing about you." He gave Hermione a small smile before turning back to Harry. "Even though she basically only talks about you-"

"Dad!" Hermione whined, but he ignored her.

"She tells us you're in the sports team, what was its name?" He asked himself before the answer came to him a few seconds later. "Quidditch! You're in the quidditch team but she's never really explained what it is. She just rambles about how dangerous it is and how much she wishes you wouldn't play."

"Well it is dangerous," she mumbled as Harry chuckled awkwardly.

"So how about you give me an… _unbiased_ explanation of it." He finished genially and Hermione shot him a smile.

Harry proceeded to explain all about Quidditch, the positions, the three balls, the rules everything while Hermione helped him by adding a few things here and there. Even though Harry started a little awkwardly and shyly as time went on he started letting loose somewhat, clearly talking about Quidditch helped him relax and stop being nervous.

After he had finished explaining about the game, Hermione proceeded to tell her dad about some of Harry's amazing (and highly dangerous flying), complimenting and reprimanding him at the same time while Harry just blushed and waved the praise off as something anyone could do while Hermione insisted he was just being modest. She did notice how her dad seemed pleasantly surprised at how he handled her praise.

About twenty minutes later her mum came downstairs and soon after that, the four of them left the house. Apparently, her mum had already thought of the perfect place for brunch a few days ago and had already made reservations. It was a nice restaurant that, while not overly formal, still was relatively fancy.

The four of them made their way to their table on the outside part of the restaurant and quickly browsed through the menu and made their orders. As soon as they did, her mum shot her and Harry a smile.

"So? How was the Ball, you two?" She asked eagerly.

"Oh, mum! It was amazing!" Hermione gushed in a voice that even surprised herself. "The Great Hall looked _so_ beautiful, it was like out of a movie! And…"

Hermione just kept going, explaining in detail how amazing the food was, how much fun she had dancing with Harry and then how the two of them and their friends had a perfect time while talking and laughing before they went back to dance.

As she did so, her parents were watching her mirthfully, fully knowing how she went into what they called; 'Hermione-mode', and talked as if she were running out of time. Harry was watching her with the same amount of mirth but there was a fondness in his eyes that she had been noticing recently and only made her want to talk more and more.

"And then just as the Ball was ending, Harry and I left the Great Hall to go outside and where we found a beautiful rose, it was so beautiful!" She finished with a content sigh.

"What were you two doing outside alone?" Her father suddenly asked and Hermione fought back the blush that threatened to form on her face.

"Talking." She said curtly.

Thankfully right at that moment the food arrived, surprising Hermione since she didn't think time went by that fast, and her father dropped the subject.

As they ate, they made small talk about how her parents had been and what they had been doing ever since Hermione left them for the summer. She quickly finished her food and turned to look at Harry who still had over half his plate. Hermione smiled discreetly as an idea entered her mind.

Hermione grabbed her fork and made to grab a piece of Harry's french toast. He must have noticed since she saw his arm twitch slightly but instead of slapping her hand like he had done the night before, it moved slightly before going back to its original position, Harry clearly must have realized that slapping her hand in front of her parents wouldn't be smart.

She forked the piece deliberately slowly forked the piece of french toast, lingering on his plate for a second too long, before she pulled back and she leisurely ate it. Hermione looked smugly at Harry who seemed like a deer caught in headlights.

"Hmmmm…" She drawled as she savoured it. "This is really good." She said insolently.

Harry, obviously not knowing how to react, just nodded in agreement and went back to eating his food, though Hermione noticed he was eating a little bit faster than before but not fast enough to be noticeable to her parents.

"So," Her mum started as soon as they were all done. "Now that we have a small hint about how Hermione feels about the Yule Ball. What did you think?"

"Oh," Harry asked, seemingly surprised that her mum asked him too. "I mean, Hermione pretty much covered it." The three of them laughed while Hermione shook her head in mock-exasperation. "But… err… it was brilliant. It really was. It was probably the best day of my life." He gave her a quick glance before shooting her a timid smile and she couldn't do anything but beam at him as she took his hand from underneath the table and gave it a squeeze.

"Well, I'm glad you two had fun." Her mum said proudly, breaking them out of their own little world.

"We did! It was perfect." She said dreamily as she stared into nothing, reliving last night.

"I can't help but wonder how they organized such a big event." Her dad brought her out of her pleasant thoughts. "The way you described the whole thing it should've taken days, maybe even a month to prepare."

"Well…" She started but thought back, they had been in the Great Hall less than eight hours before the Yule Ball started and it looked normal. "I don't know…" She finished off lamely. "I mean, there was definitely magic involved but still, what about all the food? There seemed to be an unending amount of food and drinks there even though it was packed with more guests than ever. And the Great Hall itself was decorated extremely fast, and the rose garden wasn't there a few hours before…" She started thinking how it could be possible.

"They must've used the house-elves," Harry spoke up after a few seconds of quiet.

"The house-elves?" Hermione asked, completely befuddled. "Hogwarts employs house-elves?"

"Yeah. I didn't know until I went down to the kitchen for your birthday. But there's a ton of them there, I'm sure they must've helped out."

"Oh, that makes sense," Hermione answered, not really knowing anything about house-elves except from what Harry had told her about Dobby and what Parvati had told her about her house elf. "Hopefully they paid them more for it since it was so much more work than usual."

Harry shuffled uncomfortably in his seat and Hermione looked at him questioningly, something he seemed to notice.

"What do you remember about Dobby?" He asked gingerly.

"You didn't tell Ron and me much about him, only that he worked for the Malfoys and that he wanted to stop you from getting to Hogwarts." She said carefully.

"Well… I never got the idea that the Malfoys paid him. He seemed more like a… _slave_ than a paid worker." He said ruefully.

"What!?" She exclaimed as she began to panic. "But that would be illegal! Right!? Surely house-elves are paid! Right!?"

"I… err… I don't know." He said guiltily as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Slave work!" She muttered to herself. "I benefited off of slave work! I had fun because house-elves were slaved around for my satisfaction! What kind of person does that?" She finished dejectedly before stopping and looking at Harry. "We have to do something. We have to find a way to help them." She said determined, unable to just stand by and watch while this… _abomination_ happened right in front of her.

"We will," Harry said reassuringly while nodding to himself and taking her hand. "We can go to the kitchens to learn more about them. There's like a hundred of them there."

Hermione beamed at him and squeezed his hand. The entire time Hermione never once noticed, neither did Harry for that matter, how the two adults were observing them carefully.

The two of them began planning how they were going to tackle the house-elf issue, with even her parents getting involved in the conversation and trying to help out in any way they could. The topic continued for the rest of brunch and it wasn't until after they paid that Hermione changed the topic by proposing they go bowling, something she loved to do and which she did with her family when cousins came to visit for the holidays.

Her parents quickly agreed and the four of them got into the car and drove towards the usual bowling alley Hermione always went to. The car ride was going perfectly until her mother asked the last question she knew Harry wanted to be asked.

"Harry, don't you want to call your aunt and uncle? Do they live close enough to see if they're up for a visit? Surely you want to see them since you didn't get to do so on Christmas." She asked genially.

"Oh, err… no, thank you, Mrs Granger. They already sent a letter for Christmas." Harry answered bashfully.

"You don't want to give them a call?" She asked, surprised.

"Nah, it's fine." He waved her off and her mum sent her a meaningful glance.

Thankfully the topic of Harry's aunt and uncle wasn't discussed further.

Soon enough they reached the bowling alley and for the next two hours, the four enjoyed three rounds of bowling. Harry had never been to a bowling alley ever, yet he quickly took to it like a duck to water. Hermione was extremely competitive when it came to bowling and was pleasantly surprised when she found out Harry was just as competitive as her. They teased and laughed and her parents joined in from time to time too. Hermione was glad to see that slowly but surely, her dad was warming up to Harry, even if he wasn't outright showing it.

Even though Harry was extremely competitive, he wasn't as good as her or her parents, ending in fourth place. Which made sense since this was the first time he went bowling. When her mum casually asked him about other places she remembered going to, trying to find out more about Harry, he kept replying in the negative regarding most of the places she had visited as a child, as if it were normal for kids not to experience any of what she had. When he was asked what he had done, he awkwardly said that he mostly stayed in the house or the park nearby.

Hermione's heart broke as she realized how little of a childhood her boyfriend had and vowed to make the Dursleys pay for it. She had seen them last summer and they looked as if they could afford to take Harry to do all these things and more, their son looked like a pampered prince who got everything he wanted while Harry constantly wore baggy clothes, clearly too big for him, and apparently never experienced anything she had taken for granted from her childhood. Oh, she was going to make sure the Dursleys paid for what they did to her Harry.

These thoughts flooded her mind as they returned home and just when she was about to try and put them on the back burner until later, her mother called out to her.

"Honey, could you help me with some things upstairs?" She asked her off-handedly in a way that made Hermione know that she wanted to talk about something.

"Sure mum." She responded before turning to Harry. "Would you mind waiting here with dad for a while?" She asked gently and Harry nodded, much more at ease than he had been when he arrived.

Hermione smiled at him and rushed upstairs. She found her mum waiting for her in her room and she stepped in before quietly shutting the door and looking at her mother who was standing in front of the bed.

"Sooo… do you like Harry?" She asked clumsily, not really knowing what to say.

"I think you know I like him." She said matter-of-factly before continuing in a softer tone. "What do you know about Harry's home life?"

Hermione stood there, not knowing what to say. Even though she didn't know much about Harry's home life she knew he didn't like people meddling in it. Lying for Harry wasn't the problem, there were a lot of things she hadn't told her parents because of fear they would take her out of Hogwarts or tell her to stay away from Harry. The problem was that as much as she wanted to respect Harry's privacy, she wanted to help him.

She hated how she could never help him with the Dursleys and hated not even knowing what they had done. Harry had told her multiple times he'd tell her about it but he never had and she honestly didn't think he would, at least not for a long time. Hermione hated herself for what she was about to do, but helping Harry was more important than him being angry at her. Hopefully, he wouldn't react like he did last year.

"I… I don't know much, but I know he hasn't had a good home life." She stopped as she mentally reviewed everything she knew about the Dursleys and Harry. "You've seen the kind of clothes he wears… they're too big so it makes sense they're hand-me-downs from his cousin." Her mother nodded. "The problem is that all his clothes are like that, mum. I've never seen him wear muggle clothes that fit him, it's as if all of his clothes were from his whale of a cousin." She said bitterly.

"He also always tenses when people touch him." She continued vigorously. "Ever since I met him, he has always frozen when people hug him or touch him, or anything where they have physical contact with him. It took him almost two years to get accustomed to me hugging him or touching him in any way! He constantly flinches if people make a sudden move near him! It's like he's expecting to be hit at any second!"

Hermione felt her eyes sting but she ignored that and continued.

"And you heard him. He never went to the movies, or to the theatre or to an amusement park, or to a bowling alley, or anywhere! He never did all those I always did with you or with dad! How is it fair!? How can a child never experience those things and just stay home! It's not fair mum!" She exclaimed heatedly as the stinging in her eyes became unbearable.

Her mother was about to interrupt her but she spoke up before she could.

"You should hear the way he talks about them, mum!" She said shakily. "Every time I try to talk to him about them or about his home life he has this expression, oh mum! It's horrible! The one time he told me about his home life he said the most horrible things about how he always felt alone! Two summers ago, he even asked me to send him food because the Dursleys weren't feeding him enough!"

She furiously ran her hand over her face, wiping away the stray tears that managed to escape her eyes.

"It's not fair mum! He's always so nice and kind and caring and amazing! It's not fair! He doesn't deserve this! He deserves so much more! He deserves to be happy! He deserves to not have to deal with the Dursleys or the stupid tournament or the other students at Hogwarts! Why can't he just have a happy life, mum!?"

In a moment she lost it, unable to contain the tears anymore as she rushed towards her mum who immediately hugged her back and tried comforting her to no effect. Every thought about Harry and his unfair home life that had been accumulating in her mind suddenly came to the surface and the floodgates opened. She just kept repeating, "Not fair," over and over again as her mother hugged her and tried calming her down.

Hermione didn't know how much time passed before she finally managed to calm down, but when she did she stepped back and wiped her tears off of her face.

"It's not fair, mum." She said quietly.

"I know, sweetheart. It's not." She said softly. "I'll talk to your father about it later tonight to see if we can do something to help."

"He's not going back there," Hermione said determinately. "I don't care how, but I'll make sure he doesn't spend one more second with those… _people_ " She spat.

"We'll take care of that." Her mum said comfortingly. "I'll see what we can do with what you told us but we probably will need proof to do something legal. But don't focus on that now, leave that to us. If you want to help focus on him, try to get him to open up. He can't hold everything inside, bottling things up is like a poison that kills you from within the more you keep it inside. From what you told me and what I've seen he only seems comfortable with you, so I don't think he'd open up to anyone but you."

Her mum paused for a few seconds before continuing.

"Just… be there for him. Don't pressure him but always remind him you're there and that you care about him. He'll open up slowly and when he does just be there for him."

Hermione nodded. "I will."

Her mother smiled at her. "I know you will." She looked at the door. "The boys must be wondering why we've been here for so long. Go clean your face and meet me downstairs, we still have a couple of hours before Professor McGonagall comes to pick you up."

Hermione nodded once again before leaving the room and cleaning up her face in the bathroom outside. After a couple of minutes, she finished making sure that her face was just like it was earlier today and that Harry wouldn't notice and made her way downstairs.

Harry was browsing through the movie cabinet in the living room with her father while her mother was in the kitchen using the microwave. As soon as she entered the kitchen, she was assaulted by the overwhelming yet delicious smell of popcorn.

"We're gonna be watching a movie!" Her mother needlessly told her.

"I figured that on my own," Hermione responded as she handed her mum a bowl for the popcorn. "What are we watching?" She asked.

"Your father and Harry are choosing, right now. Well, mostly Harry but your dad is trying to help him out."

"Good," Hermione said with a smile as she looked at her boyfriend who was talking intently with her father.

After all the popcorn was ready, Hermione grabbed her bowl and Harry's while her mum grabbed the other two and they made their way to the living room.

"What are we watching?" She asked Harry as she sat down next to him on their couch while her parents took the other one.

" _The Princess Bride_ ," He said as he grabbed the offered popcorn bowl. "Thanks! I don't know much about the movie but it seemed interesting."

"You know, _The Princess Bride_ is a classic in this house so you are obligated to like it if you're going to be my boyfriend." She said mock seriously.

"Oh, really?" He asked mirthfully. "And do tell, what will happen if I don't like it?"

"I will have to get a new boyfriend." She said as she pretended to look at her nails the way Lavender always did.

Harry chuckled at that. "I guess I'll just force myself to like it then."

Hermione, noticing her parents weren't watching her intently, quickly leaned in and whispered in his ear. "Good boy." She pulled back and saw him smiling at her a bit flustered while at the same time looking like he wanted to say or do something but refraining because of her parents. She smiled smugly at him causing him to glare at her.

The movie started and the four began watching it. She loved this movie and was extremely happy when she noticed that Harry was also loving it. As the movie went on, she started slowly leaning into Harry and snuggling into him. Harry, while at first startled, calmed down and reciprocated. By the end of the movie, Harry had his arms around her middle as she was resting on his chest.

As soon as the movie was done, she gave a quick glance to her parents and saw that while her father didn't seem particularly happy about it, he didn't say anything. Her mother smiled at her and nodded conspiratorially, causing Hermione to reciprocate in thanks. Her mother turned back, gently elbowed her dad, and motioned outside. Her father looked reluctant but gave in when her mum gave him a meaningful glance and the two stood up simultaneously.

"Professor McGonagall should be here in a few minutes." Her mum said as she looked at her watch. "Make sure you're ready when she does."

"Yes, mum."

"Yes, Mrs Granger."

Her mum, ignoring Harry's insistence of referring to her as Mrs Granger, shot them a smile before the two left, her father rather reluctantly.

A few moments of comfortable silence passed where the two of them just snuggled before Hermione felt Harry press a lingering kiss on the crown of her head.

"You've been a cheeky little minx since you got here." He whispered amused as he slightly tightened his hold of her.

"You didn't seem to mind." She responded as she slightly turned and grinned at him.

°I will get back at you for stealing my food." He teased.

"I'd like to see you try." She answered, "Did you like the movie?" She asked before quickly continuing. "Oh, and do remember what will happen if you didn't."

"It was pretty rubbish, honestly." He answered in a casual tone as if they were merely discussing the weather.

"Oh, is that so?" She spoke lightly, her tone easy and her demeanour relaxed as she moved away from him, continued as she stood up. "I guess I'll just have to look for a new boyfriend."

"Oh, no." His hand immediately shot out and caught hold of her wrist as he got up from his seat and in a moment pulled her into his space as his eyes sparkled with mischief and yet an intensity that was at an odds with it, as with his free hand he cupped her face and quietly murmured words that caused a million butterflies to erupt in her stomach.

"You're mine now, Granger. And I don't plan on letting you go, not now, not ever."

His lips placed a chaste kiss on hers as if to seal the promise he had just made to her and Hermione felt like this small unassuming moment just became the most significant memory of her life, just like that.

Hermione smiled at him unable to find the words that would allow her to verbalise the strange sense of contentment and a distinctive euphoria she felt all at once. So she did the only thing that she thought she could, she threw her arms around Harry and as his strong arms wrapped around her, she burrowed herself into him as she closed her eyes with a blissful smile on her face.

She didn't know how long they stood locked in their embrace, lost to the world as her brain shut off and all the thoughts and worries about what the future would bring were pushed backwards, her only focus being on enjoying the perfect day she was having.

"Come on," She said softly, as she reluctantly untangled from Harry. "We need to clean up before Professor McGonagall gets here."

Harry just hummed in agreement and stood up just after she did.

"Would you mind taking the bowls to the kitchen while I clean up here?" She asked him.

"Sure." He answered while grabbing each bowl.

"'Pretty rubbish', huh?" She asked disbelievingly.

"Completely." He retorted as he left the living room while Hermione tried and failed to fight the smile that tugged at her lips.

After cleaning up the living room and putting the movie back in its case, Hermione made her way to the kitchen where her dad and Harry were talking. Before she could say anything, she heard a knock at the door. Hermione walked towards the door and opened it.

"Hello, Professor McGonagall." She greeted her Professor.

"Hello Miss Granger, Mr Potter," The Professor said curtly and motioned behind her where Hermione realized her parents and Harry were. "Are you ready to go back?"

"Yes ma'am." She replied and Harry also said his agreement. "Please, come in." She invited her and Professor McGonagall stepped inside.

"Thank you, Mr and Mrs Granger," Harry said, a bit formally. "It was nice meeting you again."

"Thank you, Harry, for making this happen. It was wonderful to have Hermione home and having you here with us." Her mum said with a kind smile. "Although I do hope next time you do call me Helen."

Harry chuckled and ran his hand through his hair. "We'll see." He answered back awkwardly.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Harry." Her father told her boyfriend as he extended his hand to him, which Harry took.

"Thank you," Harry answered shyly.

"We'll see you again soon, I hope?" Her mum asked him.

"Hopefully in the summer." He answered with a shrug.

Harry walked towards Professor McGonagall as her parents turned towards her. Hermione immediately launched herself at her parents, giving them the rib-breaking hugs she couldn't earlier.

"I'm gonna miss you." She said as she hugged her father tightly.

"We're going to miss you too, sweetheart." He responded as she backed away and hugged her mum tightly.

"Remember to call." Her mum told her. "We miss you constantly and want to hear more from you."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, I've just been flooded with-"

"Homework." Her mum said at the same time as she did with a soft smile. "We know. Just remember we miss you."

"I love you," Hermione told them.

"We love you too." They chorused before the three shared a hug. Hermione slowly separated and beamed at them before turning to Professor McGonagall and Harry.

When she did she noticed Professor McGonagall looking at them with a small, almost nonexistent, smile, but she didn't focus on her. She focused on Harry. He was smiling and as soon as she turned, his smile turned wider as he beamed at her. But she couldn't help but notice the melancholic look his eyes had.

She slowly walked towards him and reached out for his hand, squeezing it as she gave him a gentle smile. He squeezed back and reciprocated the smile, but Hermione was saddened when the look in his eyes stayed the same.

"Ready?" Professor McGonagall asked them, breaking Hermione out of her stupor.

"Ready." They both answered and Hermione unwillingly let go of Harry's hand as she went to McGonagall's other side and grabbed her arm, reading herself to relive the nauseating feelings of apparition.

Just before the three apparated away, she looked up and saw her parents smiling at her as she was going back to Hogwarts. Back to the Tournament and Voldemort.

She wasn't even gone and yet, she missed them already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like Harmony, go join the HMS Harmony Discord Server using this link: https://discord.com/invite/2GcXw8R


	24. Family Matters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta-Read By Aani

"There's nothing here!" Hermione hissed as she closed the book with a thud, which was very _un-Hermione_ like.

Harry and Hermione were at the library ploughing through every book about magical creatures hoping to find more information about house-elves. They had been at it for almost four hours and by this point, he was incredibly tired. But he had promised Hermione that he would help her out and now he had to do just that.

"Hermione," Harry started in a considerate tone. "Wouldn't it be best if we talked to the house-elves instead of going through more books?"

"But what are we going to ask them? We need to know more about them before we interview them! How they were enslaved! What laws are in place to protect them! How most of them are treated! Why there haven't been any-"

"Hermione!" Harry interrupted his spiralling girlfriend with a sharp voice. "There's nothing here and I don't think we'll find anything else." He paused and took hold of her hand before he gave her a reassuring smile and continued calmly. "Are you sure we can do this now?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean."

Harry immediately recognized the danger and tried soothing her by stroking her hand. "Look. I'm just saying if we can actually do anything useful right now. You're fifteen and I'm fourteen, it's not like we can do anything influential or actually do something that will make people stop the elves from being slaves."

"We could free them! You freed Dobby so why can't we free the others!? At least the ones at Hogwarts!"

"Hermione," Harry continued as calmly as he could. "I didn't free Dobby. Not really. I just tricked Lucius into freeing him. The only person that can free the house-elves at Hogwarts is probably Dumbledore and I doubt we can trick him into doing so."

"Then we'll just go talk to him! Honestly, it's unbelievable that someone like Dumbledore is allowing slavery to continue! I can't believe he hasn't done anything to try and stop this, not even in his own school!"

"And do you think that will work?" Harry asked, a little heatedly. "I doubt we'll be able to trick Dumbledore into releasing all of the Hogwarts house-elves and somehow I don't think that just because we go talk to him he'll suddenly release them."

"Then what do you want us to do!? Are you suggesting that we stay quiet and don't do anything while these creatures are being treated as slaves and can be abused and it's all legal!? Do you want us to just look the other way because having the house-elves be slaves benefits us!?"

"Of course not," Harry said softly and squeezed her hand to try and calm her down. "But right now we're just kids, barely even teenagers. The adults won't listen to us, they never have. McGonagall ignored us about the stone, Lockhart would have gladly obliviated me and Ron because he didn't want to go down into the chamber, Fudge and Snape didn't listen to us when we told them the truth about Sirius. Right now, there's nothing we can really do about it and with OWLs coming up next year we'll be busier than ever! I'm not saying do nothing, I'm just saying that we should do something when it counts. As soon as we leave Hogwarts I'll be right there beside you making sure that house-elves are given rights and are treated well, but wouldn't it be better that right now we focus on getting into that position where we can make a difference?"

Hermione bit her lip, clearly not happy with what Harry was saying. "I know - I just. If I don't do anything right now and fine with allowing house-elves to do slavework for me then what does that say about me? I would be a hypocrite! I would be fine with using them as slaves just because it benefits me! No - I would be one of the people enabling this system to continue! I would be a monster." She finished in a small voice.

"That… is the most absurd thing I've ever heard you say," Harry replied and Hermione glared at him. She was about to retort but he interrupted her before she could. "I mean, honestly. You sound like me!" He said and started chuckling before adopting a very put upon pensive expression on his face and spoke in an absurdly serious tone. "I'm Hermione Granger and because I'm not in a position to abolish a slavery system that is controlled by the government and accepted by most wizarding culture I am a monster, the next Voldemort. And so, I shall bask in my misery and brood about it constantly."

"Harry, I'm serious!" Hermione exclaimed but he could tell she was trying her hardest not to laugh.

"I thought you were Hermione," Harry said innocently and Hermione finally lost it, snorting unladylike before she began laughing.

"That was awful." She said when she finally calmed down and Harry chuckled.

"I know, but after all the times Sirius has used it on me I couldn't not use it on you." Both of them laughed at that. "In all seriousness, Hermione, I honestly don't think there's anything we can do about it at the moment. It's not like two kids are going to convince a bunch of old wizards to stop using house-elves as slaves. Especially not when they abuse that fact."

"I just don't want to do nothing, Harry. I want to help." She said dejectedly.

"We will, I promise you that after Hogwarts we won't rest until house-elves aren't used as slaves or abused. But right now, wouldn't it be best to focus on our schoolwork so that we can later make waves at the ministry?" He asked calmly and Hermione reluctantly nodded. Harry gave her a small smile before he looked at his new watch. "Shit!" He exclaimed as he stood up.

"Language," Hermione said automatically.

"I'm late for my meeting with Dumbledore," Harry said before he gave Hermione a quick peck on the lips. "I'll see you later?"

"Sure," Hermione replied in a small voice.

"I promise we'll free them, Hermione. If you want we can go to the kitchens another day to see how the house-elves are and talk to them."

"Okay," She responded with a little cheerfulness back in her voice.

Harry exited the library as fast as he could without eliciting the wrath of Madam Pince and fifteen minutes later he was ascending the stairs to the Headmaster's office. He knocked and without waiting for Dumbledore to call him in, he opened the door and stepped inside. He was surprised when he saw Sirius and Remus instead of Dumbledore.

"You know, it's rude to enter without being invited in," Sirius said cheekily, not that Harry cared as he ran towards him and hugged him before hugging Remus.

"What are you doing here?" He asked them.

"Dumbledore called us in for a favour, but first… how are you doing with the tournament?" Sirius asked seriously.

"I… err… I know how to open the egg, I've just been… _busy_."

"So we've heard," Remus said impishly and Harry blushed.

"Have you had any more visions recently?" Sirius continued.

"No… is that bad?"

"It's not bad… it's just not good necessarily. The more we know about Voldemort the better and your visions give us insight." Remus answered and looked at Sirius hesitantly but continued after Sirius nodded. "After Dumbledore found out that Voldemort isn't in Albania anymore he's been searching everywhere but he hasn't found anything. Voldemort is completely off the grid and after over a month of searching we aren't close at finding him."

"We won't," Sirius said in a monotone voice. "If we haven't found him by now, we won't find him. He could be under a fidelius for all we know."

"So what do we do?" Harry asked with a determined tone.

"You can't do much at the moment but focus on surviving the tournament." Sirius paused for a moment. "Have you been able to find out who put your name in the Goblet of Fire?"

"No, we tried using the map at night but we didn't find any name that didn't belong inside the castle."

"The map never lies," Remus said softly.

"Maybe the Goblet wasn't cursed here at Hogwarts. Maybe it was already cursed before it arrived." Harry suggested.

"Which means any Death Eater who works at the ministry could've done it," Remus said thoughtfully.

"Voldemort wouldn't leave it up to chance like that," Sirius responded. "He would want to make sure your name came out of the Goblet and he would want someone as close to you as possible."

"How do you know?" Harry asked curiously, looking at Sirius whose expression got dark.

"I just do," Sirius said sharply before calming down. "You're going to have to trust me on this, Harry." Harry nodded uncertainly. "Just focus on the tournament, Remus and I are working with Dumbledore on a way to find the person who put your name in the Goblet."

"How?" He asked eagerly but Sirius just winked at him and said nothing.

"Anyways," Remus began and shot Sirius a meaningful look. "The favour."

"Right," Sirius said before he aimed his wand at the door and shot a couple of spells at it.

"What did you do?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Nothing much, just a little spell so that no one can interrupt us," Sirius said impishly before continuing in a surprisingly sedate tone. "It has come to our attention that you haven't had _the talk_ yet."

"What is this _talk_ everyone keeps talking about?" Harry asked with a bit of exasperation in his tone.

"It's a talk about sex," Remus said with his professor-like tone.

Harry's face paled as he understood what was about to happen. He only knew about sex from what he'd heard from Dean and Seamus, or from the older boys in the locker room of their quidditch team which included the twins and Lee sometimes dropping by. It was a subject which until recently, to be precise the previous year, he knew _nothing_ about.

Well, nothing except that he would rather talk about it with anyone else than the two people in front of him.

"Guys, it's nothing. Really. I'm already caught up on the topic. You don't have to do this." Harry lied nonchalantly.

"Harry, your father made me your godfather and one of the jobs is explaining… _this_." Harry turned to look at Remus for help but realized he wasn't getting any.

"I'm not getting out of this, am I?" He asked, aware of the answer already.

"Nope."

And thus began the most uncomfortable hour of Harry's life.

It wasn't _bad_ per se. But it was extremely uncomfortable. He didn't want to talk about sex with any adult, much less his godfather and uncle and he didn't think it would be any better if it was his parents giving him the talk instead of the two Marauders.

To their credit, Sirius and Remus took the topic seriously as they discussed the subject of sex with a maturity he'd only seen of them when they talked about Voldemort. The two of them even brought up what happened at the end of the Yule Ball. Harry didn't know what he was doing, he was purely acting on instinct as it felt good and since Hermione didn't complain he didn't stop. Sirius and Remus both assured Harry that it was fine, but that situations like that often escalated into more _mature_ situations and that he should be careful.

They even taught him various methods of contraception for when the time was right, and he could only gulp, watch goggle-eyed and red-faced as they didn't budge until he learned what they had to teach. Once they had him talk through _wand_ _movements,_ the one time Sirius couldn't help but waggle his eyebrows, earning a slap to the back of his head by Remus, they sobered up and told him he needed to be sure he wanted to take that next step before he did.

But most importantly, that he shouldn't pressurise Hermione into things he might want if she wasn't ready. They told him how it's okay for girls to initiate things too, so if she ever makes the move, he shouldn't get any awful ideas about her but he shouldn't necessarily comply either if he wasn't mentally ready for more but he shouldn't also make a mistake by hurting Hermione's feelings. Whatever be the case, he has to trust her completely and tell her what's on his mind so she could understand where he's coming from. Just because he's a teenage boy doesn't mean that he's always going to be in the mental space to have sex either and considering that he's in a committed relationship already, and isn't wasting his time away with no strings attached sex, this was even more important.

Remus soberly told Harry that while sex is for pleasure, it's also more than just a physical act when you do it with someone who means something to you. You aren't just seeking release but expressing your feelings more intimately. He even mentioned how though he and Sirius didn't know the details of their Yule Ball rendezvous, the very fact that they had to be called was proof enough that he knew that Harry understood what he was talking about. That lovemaking was precisely what followed interludes like the one Harry has experienced and while there was nothing to be embarrassed about it, he and Hermione were a bit too young in his opinion for more.

He further stated, making Harry squirm, that while adults can't supervise all the students in this castle all the time, even with the help of ghosts and portraits, sometimes teachers arrived a tad too late and things had already happened; the next best thing to do was to educate them and sadly orthodox purebloods didn't want things taught professionally which impacted curious teenagers who were either muggle-born but didn't carry any muggle means of contraception with them at Hogwarts either, orphans who didn't have any parents to educate them not guardians who could for reasons or sometimes children of families that were too conservative for their own good.

Even though he knew this was necessary and something everyone went through, Harry couldn't help but constantly wish a hole would open up in the ground and swallow him whole, ending the torture. Having the two of them talk about sex made him think of not only what the two Marauders did in their free time, but also what his mother and father did. Harry knew he would be shaking his head for days trying to get rid of the images that appeared in his head.

"Well…" Harry spoke up after the hour of torture was done and Remus gave him a couple of muggle books on the subject. "This was…" He trailed off, unable to continue.

"Awkward as hell?" Sirius asked and Harry nodded, causing the Marauders to laugh. "Yeah, I remember when your grandfather gave me the talk. You handled it better than I did, he literally had to force me to listen because I was so against it." He said in an evocative tone.

"My grandfather gave you the talk?" Harry asked in an awed voice.

"Yeah. When I was sixteen I ran away from home. Fleamont, your grandfather, he took me in as if I was his own son and even threatened my mother in case she tried to force me back home. Your grandparents were more family to me than my real parents." Sirius looked off at nothing with a wistful smile.

"What happened to them?" Harry asked quietly.

"What you have to understand, Harry, is that those were some really dark times filled with discrimination and hate. In the past fifteen years, a lot has changed for muggle-borns, half-breeds, werewolves, and other sentient magical creatures and it's mostly thanks to Dumbledore. Muggle-borns weren't allowed to have high-ranking jobs, they weren't allowed to study masteries or even to do basic things like shop in certain stores or attend Quidditch games. They didn't have many rights and there were things they couldn't do because of unwritten social rules, which also extended to their relationships." Remus said in a lecturing tone as if it was a topic of one of his classes.

"What James did, for the heir of an ancient and noble house to court a muggle-born, it was unheard of. The Potters were never a part of one of _The Sacred 28_ ironically because of one of your namesakes, Henry Potter, fondly called Harry by his intimates, served on the Wizengamot from 1913-1921. Henry caused a minor stir when he publicly condemned then Minister for Magic, Archer Evermonde, who had forbidden the magical community to help Muggles waging the First World War.

"His outspokenness on the behalf of the Muggle community was also a strong contributing factor in the family's exclusion from _The Sacred 28_. This list consisted of families like Blacks, Malfoys, Longbottoms, Greengrasses, Weasleys and every other family that is considered 100% pureblood."

"These families _**didn't**_ court or wed anyone who wasn't part of the sacred families, or someone of an impressive lineage and standing. They considered dating or wedding muggle-borns and half-bloods as an act of sullying their blood if one of them dared to do so. So since James was the only son of one of the most prestigious pure-blood families from Britain, he was... _expected_ to marry a pure-blood." Sirius said with obvious distaste in his voice.

"Expected? You mean like an arranged marriage?" Harry asked, disgusted at the thought.

"No, not at all. Arranged marriages were common five centuries ago but not anymore. No, it was more of a social expectation for James to marry a pure-blood." Sirius explained.

"So are all pure-bloods related?" Harry asked with disgust.

"Yeah, to some extent. I'm pretty much connected to all of the Death Eaters through blood, if not marriage. If I remember correctly I'm also vaguely related to the Crouches, and it was Barty Crouch Sr who was responsible for getting me shipped off to Azkaban without even a trial. No wonder Jr went as crazy as he did. Between his father and his Black heritage, there wasn't even a choice for him to begin with. " Sirius shuddered.

"Anyways," Remus started again. "James didn't care. Ever since the start of our third year, he fell for Lily and he fell hard. For three and a half years he ignored all the other girls who wanted to date him and pined over Lily, doing everything he could to gain her attention. Granted, looking back at it he was a complete moron all the way through the end of our fifth year and Lily never paid him any attention, but he was dead set on making your mother fall for him. It wasn't until he matured after the summer of our fifth year that Lily started paying attention to him and they started dating a few months after that." His eyes shone as he talked of his old school years.

"When James and Lily started dating at Hogwarts, a lot of pure-blood families were outraged to the point where they stopped doing business with Fleamont. But it wasn't just the pure-blood families who were Death Eaters, the neutral families too. The Potters were essentially blacklisted from all pureblood businesses. But that didn't stop James and Lily from continuing their relationship nor Fleamont and Euphemia from supporting him. They wanted your father happy, you see, and Lily had made him happier than he ever had been and that was all that mattered."

Sirius paused and Remus continued.

"After James proposed to Lily near the end of our seventh year, the news spread pretty quickly and it reached Voldemort. He saw James's marriage as sullying the pure-blood line, which he considered the greatest crime of all. He ended up attacking Diagon Alley, killing dozens before he publically threatened James to break off the marriage and gave him one chance to join him and his Death Eaters."

"Your father of course didn't do so." Sirius picked up, anger clear on his tone. "He hated the dark arts and he hated the bigotry against muggle-borns. So he decided to marry your mother the summer after our graduation before he joined the Order of the Phoenix, which was a secret society that fought against Voldemort and his Death Eaters."

"A few days after your mother and father got married, a group of Death Eaters attacked them at their home. Your grandfather was in his late sixties and your grandmother was in her early sixties and both of them were recuperating from Dragon Pox, so they couldn't even properly defend themselves. The Death Eaters kidnapped them and burned their house down and James and Lily cut their honeymoon to France short to come back to try to rescue them. It wasn't until ten days after they were kidnapped that the Order found what was left of them." Remus said, his voice full of sorrow.

"For ten days, Fleamont and Euphemia were tortured in every way you can possibly imagine before they were murdered. Their corpses were left hanging in the atrium of the Ministry of Magic and it took almost two days before their corpses could be removed from there." Sirius finished with a hate in his tone so strong that Harry had only heard when he confronted Pettigrew last year.

The silence that followed that was deafening as Harry's thoughts ran wild. He had known that his parents were killed by Voldemort but he had always thought that his paternal grandparents had died peacefully as his maternal grandparents had. But no, apparently Voldemort had not only killed his parents but also his grandparents. All of his family was dead because of Voldemort. It was always because of Voldemort.

"So my grandparents were murdered because my father married my mother?" Harry choked out, not recognizing his own voice.

"No," Sirius said with a stern tone. "Your grandparents were murdered because Voldemort and his Death Eaters are a group of bigoted racists who were angry that James wasn't raised to be as prejudiced as they were. Your father _never_ blamed your mother for what happened and you shouldn't either."

Harry nodded automatically as he tried to sort through all the thoughts that were ambushing him.

After a few seconds, he looked up towards Sirius. "Did you ever find out who the Death Eaters were?" He asked quietly.

"Yes."

"Sirius," Remus warned.

"He deserves to know, Moony." Sirius basically growled at Remus before calming down.

"There were three death eaters involved in the abduction, torture, and murder of Fleamont and Euphemia Potter." Sirius spat.

"Who?" Harry said in a voice he didn't recognize as his own.

Sirius paused and

"Antonin Dolohov, Thaddeus Nott… and Lucius Malfoy."

* * *

"Hey guys," Hermione called out to Neville, Lavender and Parvati as she entered the common room and sat with them. It had been about half an hour since Harry had left for Dumbledore's office and she couldn't put this off any longer.

"Hey, Hermione." Lavender greeted, followed by Parvati and Neville.

For fifteen minutes, the four made small talk that Hermione was barely aware of since Hermione was focused on gathering her Gryffindor courage to ask Parvati and Neville about house-elves. Just as she was about to speak up, Neville beat her to it.

"Is Malfoy still in the infirmary?" He addressed the group.

"Malfoy's in the infirmary!?" Hermione asked, wide-eyed.

"It's so cute how you and Harry can live in your own bubble and not notice anything that happens in the world in general." Parvati teased.

"Whatever would you do without us?" Lavender continued Parvati's game.

Hermione ignored the two of them and looked at Neville expectantly. "Well?" She asked after a few moments of silence.

"No one knows what happened." Neville shrugged and Hermione was sure he was suppressing a smile.

"What do you mean no one knows." She narrowed her eyes at the boy.

"It means that _no one_ knows what happened," Lavender said with a meaningful look at Hermione, one that told her not to ask more questions.

"All we know," Parvati continued. "Is that Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Parkinson were all missing during the Yule Ball. Snape noticed fairly quickly and left dinner early to look for them. He ended up finding the four of them knocked out right outside of the Slytherin common room."

"What!? Why!?" Hermione asked.

"Like we said, _**no one**_ knows. All we know is that the four of them were branded and hexed pretty badly, that's why they've been in the infirmary for the past couple of days." Lavender responded.

"Branded?"

"Apparently, they all had the same tattoo," Neville answered and this time Hermione was sure he was suppressing a smile. "The word ' _snitch_ ' was written in bright red letters all across their faces and Madam Pomfrey hasn't been able to remove them."

"From what we've heard, Madam Pomfrey has tried everything she knows but nothing's worked. Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy were taken to St Mungo's by their parents to fix them up." Parvati continued.

Hermione just gaped at the three of them, not able to find any words to say.

"And apparently, Lucius Malfoy is going to come here today to take Draco there too."

* * *

Harry closed the door as he left Dumbledore's Office, drowning in a whirlpool of feelings that overwhelmed him.

At this point he should have been used to it, Voldemort had killed his parents and Lucius had nearly killed him, so it shouldn't have been any surprise that his grandparents were dead because of them. Voldemort had already taken everything from him, learning this shouldn't have affected him, but it did.

He felt this gaping hole in his chest. He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry, he wanted to lash out like he had after his fight with Ron, he wanted to make Voldemort and his Death Eaters suffer for everything they had done to him, for everyone they had taken away from him. But he couldn't, he just felt numb.

So he just kept walking in silence along the empty hallways, he wanted nothing more than to find Hermione and just hold her. Hopefully, that would make it all go away, even if it was only for a while.

Suddenly he stopped.

"Well, well, well. We meet again, Harry Potter." Lucius Malfoy said silkily as a smile tugged at his lips.

Harry's first instinct was to take out his wand and start launching curses at Malfoy until one landed. But he paused. There was nothing that Malfoy could do to him at Hogwarts and at the same time. But a part of him didn't care, all of his instincts were yelling at him to attack the man in front of him, to torture him just like he had done so those months ago, to at least shout at the Death Eater and threaten him.

_"Look, I'm on your side. But antagonizing people like that isn't smart. And you need to be smart about this, Harry."_

Lavender's words rang inside his head and Harry forced himself to calm down and used the limited Occlumency he knew, he tried to suppress all of his emotions about the Death Eater in front of him and moved his hand away from his wand where it unconsciously went.

"Mr Malfoy," He started with a mask that slipped smoothly on his face, surprising himself. "What brings you here, today?"

Harry saw Lucius's eyebrows rise slightly before he masked his expression with his sleek smile. "I'm here to visit Draco," Lucius fluidly strode over to him until he was a few feet away from him. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about his attack, now do you?"

"His attack?" Harry asked with genuine confusion.

Lucius studied him for a couple of seconds before he continued. "Yes, a couple of days he was attacked. He's been in the infirmary ever since."

"No serious injuries, I hope?"

"None," He responded in a clipped tone.

"That's good."

"What about you, Mr Potter?" Lucius asked with a concerned expression. "No serious injuries recently?"

"None that I can think of." He responded, not taking Malfoy's bait.

"That's good." There was a pause of a couple of seconds before Lucius continued. "I heard about your attack at the Quidditch World Cup, I was sorry to hear about it."

" _I'm sure you were,_ " His mind growled and Harry quickly pushed it down. "It was nothing of importance," Harry waved him off. "It left no serious injuries."

Lucius didn't smile like Harry expected him to, instead he kept studying him for a couple of moments before giving him a reassuring smile that would have convinced most.

"I'm sure it was a traumatizing night."

"It was one of the many _wonderful_ experiences of the magical world, but I'm sure you understand how it feels like to be a victim of Death Eaters." Harry was barely able to hide the smirk from appearing on his face as Malfoy's mask faltered, showing his confusion for a moment.

"I'm not sure I follow." He said curtly.

"You don't?" He asked innocently. "I'm sure you know about all the rumours that go around about the Malfoys, especially you, being a Death Eater."

"As I'm sure you know, those rumours are false. It's been proven that I was under the imperius curse."

"Oh, I know. It's appalling how this type of slander is allowed to go around. After all… you were a victim too." Harry said with fake-compassion and it seemed that Lucius finally understood what he meant. "We learned about the three unforgivable curses earlier in the year, it helped me understand how some… _weak-willed_ people were more susceptible to it, unable to break out of it even after years. It's unfortunate that so many _powerful_ pure-bloods such as yourself were kept under this curse for so long." He finished off with a pitying expression on his face.

Harry vaguely saw how Lucius tightened his grip on his cane where he kept the wand and a part of Harry wanted to smirk at managing to get to Lucius while the other wanted to palm his wand again. After a couple of seconds of silence, which felt like an eternity to Harry, Lucius finally spoke up.

"Yes, it's most… _unfortunate_. The Dark Lord was extremely powerful at the time, and I regret everything that I did under his influence." Lucius responded tightly.

"I'm sure you do," Harry said, giving Lucius a compassionate smile before looking at his watch. "I'm afraid I'm late for my study group meeting. I must get going, would you give Draco my best wishes for his recovery?"

"Naturally. It was a pleasure seeing you Mr Potter." Lucius said coldly. "I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other."

"I'm sure we will, Mr Malfoy." He said with confidence as he met the older man's cold grey eyes.

With a last nod, Harry started walking forward and did so for a few seconds before he sensed that Lucius had turned the corner. Harry stopped and looked back only to see that he was right. Without hesitating he took out his wand and cast a Silencio on his feet before aiming the wand on top of his head.

"Please work." He whispered as he cast the disillusionment charm.

As soon as he did, he felt as if a large egg was cracked on top of his head and a few seconds later, the effect had passed all over his body. He looked at where he knew his hands were and almost cheered when he couldn't see them. Sometimes studying ahead paid off.

As soon as he was invisible, he ran as fast as he could towards the infirmary, and it didn't take more than thirty seconds for him to catch up with Lucius. Harry walked behind him at the same pace as he was before getting an idea. He took out his wand and aimed it at his back.

"Muffliato," Harry whispered as quietly as he could.

As soon as he did, Lucius stopped walking, completely surprising Harry. Harry managed to stop just before he hit Malfoy. Not wanting to take any chances, Harry walked a few steps backwards without taking his eyes off of Lucius. The Malfoy patriarch looked around the hallway before letting out a soft exhale and continuing walking.

Harry followed him, walking behind him just as he had before. Just as Lucius was about to reach the infirmary, Harry once again aimed his wand at Malfoy.

"Disputatio." Harry cast the first part of the eaves-dropping spell from the Marauder Grimoire before turning his wand to his ear. "Audientis."

Just as he finished doing so, Lucius entered the infirmary and closed the door behind him, leaving Harry outside but still in range for the spell to work. Harry sat down on the floor and closed his eyes, trying to picture the scene.

"Draco," Lucius's curt voice spoke after a couple of seconds.

"Father," Draco responded solemnly and Harry heard the sound of a bed creaking.

"Would you mind giving us a few minutes alone?" Lucius addressed someone.

"Of course, Mr Malfoy. I'll be in my office." Harry heard Madam Pomfrey's voice answer and a few seconds after that there was a sound of a door closing.

Harry didn't quite understand what happened next, he could hear Lucius moving around the room and his cloak billowing, but that was it. After a minute or so, he heard Lucius speak once more.

"Explain." Harry was surprised at how cold his voice sounded, he'd never heard him address Draco this way.

"It's all Potter's fault!" Draco whined. "I'm sure of it, he's behind all this! I'll kill the blood traitor myse-"

Suddenly Draco stopped talking and Harry didn't hear anything other than almost inaudible gasps for air.

"Silence!" Lucius hissed a few seconds later before he composed himself to his previous cold voice. "You will tell me everything that happened and if you give me an answer I do not like, you'll regret it. Nod if I made myself clear."

Less than a second later Draco started coughing and breathing hard, trying to regain all the air he could.

"Speak," Lucius commanded.

"Yes, father." Draco choked out and took a few moments to compose himself before he spoke with a raspy voice. "You told me that Potter would be in a weak mindset after what you did to him at the Quidditch World Cup. So I did what you asked, I confronted him on the train and tried to exploit what you did to him. But he wasn't as weak as you said he would be-"

"Are you blaming me for your incompetence, Draco? Lucius asked coldly.

"No, father," Draco said quickly.

"Need I remind you that it's your fault we're in this situation? You were supposed to befriend Potter and make sure that he trusted us implicitly but you failed even at that."

"I'm sorry, fat-"

"I don't care." Lucius interrupted sharply. "We can't fix your mistakes now. Continue."

"After that, I continued trying to undermine Potter throughout the year but no matter what I did, he kept getting his way. He even forced Professor Snape to stop his usual treatment of him and his friends."

"Get to the point Draco," Lucius warned.

There was a small pause before Draco continued shakily.

"After Potter's name came out of the Goblet, the whole school turned against him and I once again started belittling Potter, his mudblood girlfriend and his blood traitor friends and after that didn't work, I tried an alternative solution. I gave Rita Skeeter an interview slandering Potter and the mudblood and finally, that worked, he made a fool of himself in the Gre-"

"You snitched about something that happened inside the castle and then had the idiocy of not telling Skeeter to make it an anonymous interview?" Lucius asked dangerously.

"Potter needed to know it was me!" Draco exclaimed. "He needed to know who it was that put him and his mudblood in their pl-"

"Crucio!" Harry was shocked when he heard Lucius exclaim the unforgivable and wasn't prepared to hear Draco drop to the ground and scream out in pain. Even though Lucius only held the curse for less than ten seconds, Harry couldn't help but feel bad for Draco, having been in his situation a few months prior.

"I get busy with certain… _obligations_ and during that time you decide to do something as idiotic as that." Lucius hissed before he continued coldly. "You embarrass me, you're a shame to the Malfoy name. How did the hat tarnish the Slytherin house by placing you in it? You have no cunning, no intelligence, no resourcefulness, nothing."

Harry thought that Lucius was going to once again use the cruciatus curse on Draco but he didn't.

"You will do nothing. You will keep your head down and avoid Potter at all costs. Things are changing out there, Draco, and soon the mudbloods and blood traitors will be at our feet where they belong. But for now, you won't do anything that will jeopardize those plans. If I hear that you step even a toe out of line or try to interact with Potter again, I will disinherit you, banish you from the family and make sure you're placed with the other filth we'll punish."

"Yes, father." Draco whimpered meekly.

"I'm almost tempted to make you keep that brand on your face, but you're still a Malfoy and I can't have you tarnish this family more than you already do. Go get changed, we'll be leaving for St Mungus in five minutes."

"Yes, father." Draco echoed hollowly.

* * *

"Hey, guys," Harry said as he arrived at the common room almost half an hour after he finished listening in to Malfoy's conversation.

Hermione immediately turned to him from her conversation with Lavender, Parvati and Neville. "Hey," She said, her voice slightly higher than usual, as she made space for him to sit down next to her.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

"Oh, I'm fine Harry." She waved him off and Harry was reminded how awful Hermione was as a liar. "How was your meeting with Dumbledore?" She asked quickly.

Harry opened his mouth and then shut it. "It was good." He said before quickly continuing "Actually, something happened on the way here."

Harry looked around the common room and saw that it was packed.

"Come on, we need to talk." He turned to the other three. "All of us." The other three looked surprised but nodded nonetheless.

At first, he thought about taking them to the room but opted against it, he wanted to keep that exclusively for him and Hermione. So instead, the five of them went to his and Neville's dorm room which was thankfully empty.

"Nice place." Harry heard Lavender say as he shut the door behind him and placed the usual privacy charms.

"Don't get any ideas." He teased her and she pouted. Harry moved and sat on his bed beside Hermione.

For the next fifteen minutes, Harry told them about his encounter with Malfoy and what followed.

"That was really dangerous, Harry," Hermione said with a slight shake in her voice. "You shouldn't have followed him. You shouldn't

"We were at Hogwarts, Malfoy couldn't have done anything to me." He took her hand and squeezed it, trying to calm her down. "Besides," He turned to Lavender. "I was smart."

"Took you long enough." She teased him.

Harry turned to look at the others and saw that Neville looked particularly perturbed. "Nev?" Harry asked but his friend just stared in front of him for a few seconds before he answered.

"Malfoy used the cruciatus curse on Draco?" He asked in a hollow voice.

Harry nodded and Neville just continued to stare at nothing in particular. Hermione gave him a questioning look but Harry slightly shook his head. He hadn't told anyone what Neville told him and wasn't planning on doing so.

"No wonder Draco is how he is." Neville once again broke the silence.

"Nev, Lucius is a monster but Draco's not completely innocent either," Harry said slowly.

"You just told us how he was tortured by his own father, with an unforgivable! How his father put pressure on him to befriend you and to torment you!"

"No, I told you that Lucius wanted Draco to befriend me and make me trust him and his family. He seemed incredibly irate that Draco wasn't smart about it and that he took the approach he did. Everything he did the first three years was purely Draco. Every time he bullied you, or me or Ron! Every time he mocked the Weasleys and was a bigoted racist against Hermione! He tried to get Hagrid fired and Buckbeak murdered! He's threatened Hermione many times and even wished the basilisk would kill her back in our second year! Draco did that! Not Lucius, _Draco_."

"I'm not saying Malfoy isn't an asshole or anything like that," Neville said immediately. "But he was abused by his own father! It's clear that he's been pressured to do all those things and it's no wonder that he's an asshole! We don't know if he would have been tortured at home if he didn't follow what his father told him! Malfoy was one of the worst Death Eaters, Harry. I wouldn't be surprised if he was as vicious to his own son as he was to the other people he tortured and murdered."

"And I feel sorry for him, Neville. I really do. But while his father probably pushed Draco to be just as bigoted and ruthless as him, Draco made the choice to obey him. Hell, if I did and thought everything my aunt and uncle wanted me to, I'd probably be as bigoted against magic as Draco is against muggles."

"Draco could have lied to him, he could have stood up to him, he could've tried to ask for help from teachers or others. He could have chosen not to be a bigoted asshole, but he didn't. Because it was easier to flaunt all his money around and try to bully whoever he wanted and get whatever he wanted rather than doing the right thing and have common decency."

"But Draco doesn't care about others and if he could have it his way, people like you and me and Hermione would be tortured and killed for his entertainment. Because that's who he is, he is a person who is willing to raise himself up by stepping on other people's throats and when things get hard and he realizes that there are people stronger than him that are not afraid to put him in his place, he plays the victim and expects people to give him all the pity he wants."

"He was abused at home, Harry!" Neville shouted, standing up. "None of us know what that's like and ignoring that is wrong."

Harry paused for a moment. "You're right, we don't." He said tightly. "But not just because someone is abused at home means they get a free pass to lash out however they want. Draco should be held accountable for everything he's done because he _chose_ to do so. He had other options but he chose to be just as bad as his father."

"Look," Parvati said gently as she took hold of Neville's arm and guided him back onto the bed. "Malfoy is… _complicated_. But we shouldn't let this make us fight, right?" No one answered. "Right?" She said louder.

"Yeah," Harry and Neville chorused, making Parvati look pleased.

"Alright, I don't know about you. But classes start soon and I need to start studying for the usual pop quizzes we have at the beginning of the term." Parvati said as she stood up. "Anyone fancy joining me?"

"Sure," Lavender said as she stood up as well and looked expectantly at Hermione.

"Not today, girls," Hermione said as she grabbed his hand and intertwined her fingers with his.

"Hermione Granger denying an opportunity to study. These truly are strange times." Parvati said mirthfully and Lavender laughed before the two girls left the dorm.

"I'm sorry for shouting," Neville began. "I don't know what got into me, I shou-"

"It's fine, Nev." Harry cut him off. "I'm sorry too."

Neville gave him a shy smile. "I'm going to the Greenhouses. You want to come?"

"Not today, Nev," Harry said tiredly. "I'll see you later?"

Neville nodded and Harry walked him out of the dorm, shutting the door behind him and once again applying the privacy charms before sighing and dropping his head.

"Am I wrong?" He asked Hermione quietly.

"I… I don't know, Harry." Hermione said uncertainly. "It's like Parvati said, it's complicated."

"I just don't understand why he gets a free pass." He said with a hint of bitterness. "It's like no matter what he does, he'll always manage to get out of it scot-free."

"I understand that, Harry," Hermione said slowly as she walked towards him, grabbing his hand. "But we also can't ignore the influence Lucius has over him and we don't know what happens at Malfoy's home."

Harry stayed quiet as he stared at nothing.

"Something else is bothering you." She said softly yet sternly in a way that was purely Hermione. "What is it, Harry?"

Harry sighed and gave a hollow chuckle at Hermione's perception. When it came to him, she never missed a thing. Harry turned to look at her and met the chocolate eyes that were staring at him with concern. He knew that if he told Hermione that he didn't want to talk about it, she'd let it go. But for some reason he couldn't understand, he wanted to tell her.

So he sat them down back on his bed and told her everything. About how he didn't actually meet with Dumbledore, about what Sirius and Remus talked to him about, and about what happened to his grandparents.

"It's not fair." He said after he finished telling her everything. "When Hagrid came for me and told me I was a wizard, I thought this was my chance to start over. I thought this was my chance to get away from the Dursleys and live my own life. But the more I learn about the wizarding world, the more I realize how much I've lost."

"I mean, my parents, my grandparents, hell, even Sirius and Remus." Harry chuckled bitterly. "All my chances at a normal life, stolen by Voldemort and his Death Eaters." Harry opened his mouth but couldn't find any words to say. He just sat there in silence, blinking back the stinging in his eyes as Hermione caressed his hand.

Then, slowly, Hermione moved, she put an arm across his shoulders and with her free hand gently placed his head on her shoulder. He closed his eyes as he felt her lips softly dropping a kiss on the top of his head, making him sigh.

"I'm still here, Harry." She said softly. "I'll always be here for you." She promised in a way that Harry couldn't not believe her.

He held her tightly and swallowed the lump on his throat. She kept repeating words of comfort, of support, of soothing.

Harry Potter wanted to cry… and he did. And Hermione Granger sat there, being his anchor, his rock as he let himself fall apart for the first time in his life, too exhausted and hurting in ways that he never could have imagined while at the Dursleys. For in all the ways that they _did_ hurt him, nothing had hurt Harry like the ache of losses that his heart had suffered.

* * *

Harry couldn't remember when he stopped crying, in the back of his mind he even thought that Hermione's shoulder had to hurt from the weight of his head but he was loathe to move. He had never been comforted when he cried like a child, in fact, the one time he had sought out Aunt Petunia's arms she had pushed him away so violently that he had fallen on his bum on the floor and his shock had made him stop crying. She had then called him a freak and asked him to never dare to touch her again.

Hermione had been his first hug, the first person to ever show some affection to him. And as much as he had come to enjoy their recent activities, being held by her as she comforted him, as he cuddled into her was a new experience unto itself, one he realised was as amazing as kissing Hermione was. Though the two acts were as different from each other as possible, in fact, he'd consider them as polar opposites - for one roused a passion in him that made his entire being thrum and burn with passion, the other had soothed him and he had felt quenched like only a parched traveller who had walked miles in the blazing sun in the desert and finally found an oasis could.

A small smile played on his lips as he realised that he wasn't even surprised that he could experience such extreme emotions because of Hermione. His arms tightened around her because who else would make him feel so alive, it could only be her.

Harry realized that he could hear a slight humming that vaguely reminded Harry of a song, whether he had heard it on TV or the radio he didn't know.

The second thing he realized was that Hermione was playing with his hair gently.

"Hey, you." He said quietly to her with a smile.

"Hey yourself." Harry heard Hermione answer before he looked up at her and saw that she was smiling back at him before she turned slightly serious. "Better?" She asked nervously.

"Loads." He said and kissed her lightly for a couple of seconds before parting and snuggling back into his girlfriend.

He didn't know how long they stayed like that before Hermione finally broke the silence.

"So Sirius gave you the talk, huh?" She asked, amused.

"Oh, please don't remind me," Harry said and chuckled in embarrassment before he slowly untangled from his girlfriend and looked at her.

"So…" He started but trailed off.

"So…" Hermione echoed and there was a moment of uncomfortable silence before Hermione finally snapped. "Oh, honestly! This is so stupid!"

Harry couldn't help but internally agree before he started chuckling. It didn't take long for Hermione to join him and the two of them chuckled for a few seconds before calming down and descending into a comfortable silence.

"I don't regret anything," Hermione said softly.

"Me neither."

"Good," She said teasingly before laughing a little. "We're so bad at this."

"In our defence, this is our first time talking about… _this_."

"Look, I… I don't regret anything, Harry. I'd be lying if I said I didn't love every bit of it, but I'm good where we are."

"Me too." He responded. "I'm just not ready to… _advance_ our activities." He paused and his eyes widened. "Not because I would regret it!" He said quickly, hoping he didn't make a mistake. "I would never regret anything with you, I just want to be ready before we… do... _it_." He trailed off lamely and tried to hide his blush from Hermione, only to see she was also blushing but smiling a little, which made him smile too.

"Me too. I want us to be ready before we continue, but that doesn't mean we have to stop. I loved everything we did and want to do it again." Hermione stopped and Harry saw that she was blushing even more. "But I think we shouldn't do anything more than snogging."

"Not even hickeys?" He asked playful and nervous at the same time.

Granted it had only happened once, but the sight of Hermione's unblemished and pristine collarbone sporting his mark was the most beautiful and addictive thing he had ever seen. He wondered if she still had them, what did they look like and could he get a look at them.

Hermione rolled her eyes amused as well as flustered as she blushed beautifully before she chuckled and it was a sound so beautiful that he would never get tired of it.

"Yes, Harry. And hickeys. After all, I owe you a couple of them." She said impishly.

"Oh, do you now?" He asked with a mischievous smirk as he made to move towards her.

"Ah, ah, ah. Down boy." Hermione said playfully as she shook her finger at him.

"Or what?" Harry challenged her with raised eyebrows.

"Or there will be no snogging for a week."

"Oh, really?" He grinned at her and made sure they were alone before pouncing on her.

Hermione squealed and laughed. "Harry, st-" She tried to say but Harry shut her up by capturing her mouth with his and giving her a short yet passionate kiss.

After a couple of seconds, he pulled back and smirked at her. "No snogging for a week, huh?"

"Not unless you kiss me like that again." She said breathlessly and Harry was happy to comply multiple times.

When they ran out of breath, he couldn't help but look at her, his lips quirked into a smile as he took in this beautiful girl who was his and his lips moved on their own accord to plant a kiss on her cheek, making her smile brilliantly as her eyes shone like diamonds.

As his eyes fell on her neck however his breath hitched and with trembling fingers he reached for the collar of her shirt and moved it aside. There it was, the mark he left on her - reddish-purple and huge and just so inviting. A thought however struck him as his fingers gently traced it and his eyes met hers as he heard Hermione's breath catch.

He stopped moving his fingers and asked her softly. "It doesn't hurt you, does it? I'm sorry if-."

Hermione simply kissed him to shut him up and smiling shyly at him she shook her head as she whispered in tones so low that only he could hear her.

"No it doesn't hurt, never has."

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as his eyes turned to the sight that had enamoured him again as he slowly moved his head towards her neck, giving her plenty of time to stop him or move away but Hermione never did.

Before he knew it, his lips were on the bruised flesh and he couldn't help but place kisses across the length of it. As his lips made contact, Hermione sucked in a sharp breath but never uttered a single word. When he ran out of bruises to kiss, he cupped the side of her face with the same hand that he used to trace his mark on her and brought it to his as his lips captured hers and as their tongues met, everything else ceased to exist for Harry Potter.

All he knew were Hermione's lips on his own, her fingers in his hair, her tongue in his mouth and the heat of her body setting him on fire as he burned and burned and burned until the sound of a loud clatter made them jump apart and reality came crashing back on him as Ron crouched down to pick up his bookbag averting their eyes even as Harry noticed that the tips of his ears turned pink. He threw the bag on his bed, crouched down again as he pulled his chess set out of his trunk and walked away from the room.


	25. Too Late, It's Gone

The morning of their return to classes, the five Gryffindors were in the Great Hall having breakfast when the usual flurry of owls showed up and started flying all over the place. It didn't take long before a couple of owls landed in front of Neville and Lavender and the two grabbed their respective newspapers from the owls.

"Harry, you're gonna wanna see this," Neville said nervously after he finished looking at it for a minute.

"Oh, great. And here I was thinking that my days of dealing with _The Prophet_ were over." Harry said sarcastically as he grabbed the offered paper.

"No, apparently they just took a break," Lavender said as she shared the newspaper with the other two girls.

_The Playboy Who Lived_

_Written By: Rita Skeeter_

_This past Christmas, Hogwarts hosted the traditional Yule Ball event which is a formal dance where the students from all three schools get to relax and have some light-hearted fun during their winter break. However, it seems that the youngest champion had other intentions for the event._

_Harry Potter is well known as the saviour of the wizarding world and as a national icon. Not only extremely famous for defeating You-Know-Who and ending his reign of terror but also the last remaining Potter in Britain, which means that in three years he'll command all the wealth and power the Potter house has built for the last few centuries._

_Does The Boy Who Lived use his status of wealth and power in a responsible way that would make his parents proud? Unfortunately, this reporter can't say he does as it seems young Harry Potter has fashioned himself as the newest playboy in the school._

_Throughout the Yule Ball, Harry Potter was never seen alone, constantly having a female companion by his side. During dinner, he could be seen talking animatedly to Ravenclaw fifth year Cho Chang, he was also seen talking quite a bit with a Gryffindor fifth year Katie Bell and by the end of the ball, he was dancing intimately with multiple girls, sometimes even more than one at a time, with one of them being his fellow champion from Beauxbatons, Fleur Delacour!_

_However, it seemed as if Mister Potter wasn't happy with just dancing intimately with as many girls as possible as he was caught in an extremely intimate position with his latest squeeze, muggle-born Hermione Granger. The two were seen walking to the Deputy Headmistresses office after being caught._

_However, this is only made more tragic by the reaction of one Ginevra Weasley. After Harry Potter disappeared from the Ball, Miss Weasley ended up leaving the Ball with a close friend of hers. The two were heard arguing before the young Weasley daughter broke down about how Hermione Granger had stolen Harry Potter from her!_

_It's clear that young Harry and Ginevra had a relationship before he left her for muggle-born Hermione Granger after he had problems with Ronald Weasley, Ginevra's older brother. The question now is, how long before Harry leaves Hermione for another witch and who will the next lucky witch be? Will it be Beauxbatons champion Fleur Delacour? Gryffindor classmate Katie Bell? Ravenclaw fifth year Cho Chang? Or someone new entirely?_

"This is such bullshit!" Harry exclaimed as he angrily threw the paper on the table.

Hermione looked up to him, probably wanting to reprimand him for his language, but most likely just as mad as he was.

"Skeeter's portraying you as if you were nothing more than a good snog rather than my girlfriend! And what's this about me breaking up with Ginny to be with you! And then she has the audacity to imply that I'm going to leave you!" Harry angrily vented, completely forgetting that he needed to work on keeping his emotions in check.

"You're focused on the wrong things," Hermione said matter-of-factly before looking back at the newspaper. "She's portraying you as nothing more than a playboy, and she's exaggerating everything that happened at the Ball. Yes, you talked with Cho and other girls and you danced with them, but she's blowing this out of proportion! I was right there with you all the time! She's just trying to paint you as badly as possible!"

"Hermione's right," Neville said as he grabbed his paper from the table. "But you're both not focused on the right things. Do you notice which names are included?"

"Cho, Ginny, Hermione, Katie, and Fleur," Harry said as if it was obvious.

"Exactly, names of little importance." He said automatically.

"Excuse me?" Hermione asked dangerously and Neville immediately panicked.

"I didn't mean it like that!" He said quickly. "I meant politically. Look. You're a muggle-born. Katie is a half-blood and her family don't have much political influence. Ginny is a pure-blood and part of _The Sacred 28_ , but even though the Weasleys have seats at the Wizengamot, they are not as rich as other pure-bloods and their seats at the Wizengamot are inactive at the moment."

"But what about Fleur? From what she told me about her family it seems that they have a lot of connections to the French Ministry of Magic. And what about Cho for that matter, you didn't mention her either."

"Exactly, the Delacours have power in France but none here in England. Same with Cho, she comes from a Chinese family that doesn't have a lot of influence here. And even then, Fleur and Cho's name weren't as tarnished as Hermione and Ginny's. Skeeter consciously avoiding mentioning pure-bloods that have a lot of political resources."

"Okay, so Skeeter wants to drag my name through the mud, that's nothing new. But I still don't understand what the Wizengamot is?"

"Don't worry, we're not supposed to learn much about it until after our fifteenth birthday. The little I know I've picked it up in passing." Neville paused and scrunched his eyebrows. "My gran's supposed to explain it to me but I honestly don't know about you."

" _Probably Sirius,_ " Harry thought to himself before speaking aloud. "No idea, I'll have to ask Dumbledore later."

"You should, you're the last Potter and while your seat is inactive now, it'll become active by the time you're seventeen which means you'll have to take over it unless you find someone who can do so in your place until you feel you're ready."

"Great, more things to do," Harry said with mock cheerfulness.

"It's time you don't have, Harry. You need to focus on the tournament." Hermione admonished him.

"I'll leave it as a summer project in case I manage to not get eaten by a dragon or a chimera or maybe even a-"

"Don't!" Hermione exclaimed terrified, her hands shaking slightly.

"Sorry." He said apologetically before sighing. "You're right, it's been long enough. I need to start with preparing for the second task and that means deciphering the egg."

"When do we start?" Lavender asked and just when Harry was about to dismiss her, Neville and Parvati looked at him unflinchingly.

* * *

"I still don't understand why all of you had to come," Harry grumbled as quietly as he could.

It was close to midnight and the five Gryffindors were quietly making their way towards the room. Harry had decided that the best way to listen to the egg was to command the room to create a pool for him, unfortunately, he hadn't counted on Hermione, Neville, Lavender, and Parvati wanting to come with him too.

That was how Harry found himself under a disillusionment charm walking beside Hermione (whom he also disillusioned) and the other three (who were under his cloak of invisibility with the egg and the map) walking quietly along the halls.

"Because," Hermione began matter-of-factly. "You need different perspectives to figure out the egg, and we can bring them to you."

"I could've just written whatever the clue was and given it to you tomorrow." He mumbled.

"Ouch!" Lavender hissed before Hermione could answer. "That was my foot, Neville!"

"It's not my fault! This is so uncomfortable!"

"Then why did you insist on using the cloak too!?" Parvati shrilled in annoyance.

"This is an invisibility cloak! They're extremely rare! Besides, I called dibs on the cloak! It's not my fault you two cheated and stole it from Harry!"

"Finders keepers, Longbottom," Lavender said smugly.

"All of you, shut it!" Harry hissed and stopped, two prefects he didn't recognize had just rounded on the corner and began walking towards them.

Instinctively knowing where Hermione was, he gently grabbed her hand and guided her towards the wall as quietly as he could. The two of them pressed against it stealthily just as the prefects walked over where they used to be standing.

"If you're coming with me you're at least going to take this seriously," Harry said as soon as the two prefects left the hall.

"Sorry." The three said dejectedly before they continued moving.

It didn't take long before they reached the room and Harry asked for a large pool. As soon as the door opened he heard Lavender, Neville, and Parvati gasp in awe. The five of them went inside and Harry canceled his and Hermione's disillusionment while the other three removed the cloak and started looking around.

"Wow! What is this place?" Lavender asked.

"It's a secret." Harry shrugged noncommittally.

"How do you get it to open?"

"That's also a secret." He smirked at her pout. "I'm not telling you so that you can bring your boyfriend here every time you want to find a good snogging place."

"Like you don't do that with Hermione, and Dean's not my boyfriend!" She glared at him.

"Really? I've heard differently." He said and Hermione immediately gave him a not-so-subtle glance to shut up. "I overheard Dean telling Seamus the big news." He said smoothly before Lavender could ask how, and she groaned. "And honestly, I'm hurt that you didn't want to tell me. You're so mean!" He said with mock-hurt.

Lavender shook her head in annoyance but didn't say anything. The next thing he knew, she began to take off her roles and it was only then that he noticed that Hermione and Parvati had already started before Lavender. Harry and Neville immediately looked away in embarrassment.

"What are you doing!?" Harry exclaimed for the both of them, Neville being too shocked to say anything.

"We already have our swimsuits on underneath our robes," Hermione said and Harry could practically see her rolling her eyes. "Where are yours?" She asked them.

"I… err… I don't like swimming." Neville said, not being able to hide his shame as he gave Harry an apologetic look.

"That's fine," Hermione said softly before suddenly snapping. "Oh, honestly! Will you two just turn around already?"

Harry and Neville hesitantly did only to see the three girls already completely out of their robes and with only their swimsuits. Harry had to admit that Lavender and Parvati looked quite fetching in their respective red and green one-piece swimsuits and didn't miss how Neville's eyes stayed on Lavender for a second too long. He then turned and saw Hermione, his breath immediately hitched and all thoughts of the other three were gone.

She was wearing a two-piece periwinkle swimsuit that hugged her body in all the right places and made her look completely and utterly irresistible. She had looked beautiful with her dress during the Yule Ball but this was something else, Hermione looked so… _tempting_ , a part of him wanted nothing more than to hold her, to kiss her, to ravish her. She had never looked so alluring as she was right now, and he couldn't stop his brain from creating images of the two of them together.

"Harry!" He heard Hermione shout (as the other two girls giggled) and broke away from his musings, immediately blushing at those thoughts and quickly putting his hands inside the pockets of his pants to hide his reaction. He finally turned to look at her face and saw that she looked slightly pleased, which only made him blush harder. "Your swimsuit?" She asked and Harry could tell she was trying to hide a smile.

"Swimsuit?" He asked dumbly. He had never had a swimsuit and had just planned on getting in the pool with nothing but his boxers, something that was clearly off the table now since he wouldn't be alone.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him and the other two girls giggled even harder.

Thankfully, the room had successfully created some swimming trunks and a swimming shirt for him so he didn't have to stay on the sidelines while the girls tried to listen to the egg in the pool. Lavender and Parvati had teased him that he shouldn't wear a shirt (much to Hermione's chagrin), but Harry swiftly told them that that was something reserved for Hermione, and they thankfully didn't prod further.

The four of them entered the pool, which was extremely warm and relaxing, and Neville passed them the egg from outside.

"Ready?" He asked the three girls, and they all nodded before they submerged.

As soon as they were all underwater, Harry opened the egg and flinched as he did so, expecting the ear-piercing shriek he'd experience the first time he opened it. Thankfully, it never came. Instead, a chorus of eerie voices sang.

_Come seek us where our voices sound,_

_We cannot sing above the ground,_

_And while you're searching ponder this;_

_We've taken what you'll sorely miss,_

_An hour-long you'll have to look,_

_To recover what we took,_

_But past an hour, the prospect's black,_

_Too late, it's gone, it won't come back._

As soon as the song was done, Harry and the others rose for air simultaneously. They repeated the process a couple of times as they dictated the song to Neville, who wrote it on some spare parchment they had brought for this. When they were finished, the four remained inside the warm pool while the room gave Neville a chair, and he sat on the edge of it.

"Let's break this down in parts," Hermione said surgically.

"Come seek us where our voices sound, we cannot sing above the ground," Neville intoned.

"That obviously means underwater and the only place I know where sentient creatures live underwater is the Black Lake," Lavender said.

Hermione nodded sagely. "This is most likely merpeople and I read in Hogwarts: A History that there is a small colony of them there."

"And while you're searching ponder this; We've taken what you'll sorely miss,"

"So someone is going to steal something from me. Something I value more than anything, and they'll put it under the Black Lake." Harry said thoughtfully.

"It's either going to be your broomstick, the map, or the cloak. Dumbledore knows of all three of them, and they are what you value the most." Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"An hour-long you'll have to look, And to recover what we took,"

"That's easy, it means you'll get an hour to find the merpeople and retrieve the item," Parvati said plainly.

"But past an hour, the prospect's black, Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."

"So if I can't find whatever they take in an hour, I'll lose it forever!?" Harry said worriedly as he played with his locket. The thought of losing the cloak or the map or even his photo-album filled with pictures of his parents was distressing, they were his last connections to his parents and he wasn't ready to give them up.

"Then we'll just need to make sure we find them before the hour," Hermione said with a determined voice. "The question is how to make you breathe underwater for a whole hour."

A silence followed as everyone tried to think of a solution before the silence was broken by Neville snapping his fingers repeatedly.

"What is it, Nev?" Harry asked his friend.

"I'm trying to remember." He said with a focused expression. "Ugh! I remember talking about this with someone but my memory is really fuzzy. I know I talked about this, I just can't remember it."

"Alright," Harry said, turning around and letting Neville think. "Even if we learn how to, I don't know how to swim and I'm sure that swimming for a whole hour is going to be really tiring." He paused. "Will I even be able to cast spells down there?"

"I don't know," Hermione said with a hint of fear. "I'd have to research it better. But, Harry, you need to practice swimming. It can be extremely tiring and if you're not used to it, you won't be able to last."

"Alright, I'll focus my training hours on swimming then." He sighed. "But even if I do I still need to kn-"

"I got it!" Neville shouted excitedly. "Gillyweed!"

"What's that?" Hermione asked with interest.

"It's a magical plant. Honestly, I don't know much about it. I don't have any of it in the Greenhouses at Longbottom manor and haven't really heard of it before." Neville said dejectedly.

"Did you figure out who told you about that?" Harry asked him.

"No. It was recent but I honestly can't remember who or when. At least I remembered the plant though." He chuckled lightly.

"Okay, so we have to research more about gillyweed, but we also need to know where the merpeople village is. Does it say anything about that in Hogwarts: A History?" He asked his girlfriend.

"No." She paused thoughtfully. "It only mentioned that Hogwarts and the ministry worked together to allow a colony of merpeople to relocate under the Black Lake in 1804."

"I can help with that," Lavender said proudly. "I have a cousin that works at the Ministry of Magic Archives. If the Ministry 'allowed' the merpeople to relocate under the Black Lake, I'm sure there must be a record of that-"

"And it must include the specific area where they established themselves!" Hermione finished excitedly. "That's perfect!"

"And will your cousin just give you the records just because you asked nicely?"

"She owes me a favour after I covered for her with her parents last summer," Lavender said sweetly but Harry still wasn't too sure.

"Alright. Tomorrow we can research more about Gillyweed and you can send your father a letter asking about that. Right now, it's really late, and we have class tomorrow morning, so we should get going." Harry told the group.

Twenty minutes later, the five Gryffindors exited the room, this time with Harry and Hermione under the cloak and the other three disillusioned. It took them twenty minutes with Harry guiding them to the Gryffindor Tower while actively avoiding the teachers and students that were patrolling. They had to take the long way since Harry noticed in the map that the direct path was blocked by Moody, and he wasn't so sure that his eye couldn't see past disillusionment charms or invisibility cloaks.

As soon as they reached the common room, the girls went up to their dorm after some quick goodbyes. Harry though suddenly got an idea and stopped.

"Aren't you coming?" Neville asked him after he stayed behind.

"I'll be up in a minute, Nev. Don't worry." Harry said absently.

He heard Neville go up the stairs to the boy's dorm and after a few seconds of waiting, he pulled out the mirror in his pocket and called Sirius. It took almost a minute before he answered.

"Harry?" His godfather asked tiredly. "What time is it?"

"What do you know about gillyweed." He asked, ignoring the question.

"Why?" He asked and Harry told him about the egg and the task.

Sirius stopped for a moment before answering. "Gillyweed is a magical plant that allows you to breathe underwater. It makes you incredibly fast and agile and will even give you the ability to speak underwater. For how long depends on how much of it you consume, but it's the easiest way to breathe underwater for a long period of time if you haven't learned the bubble-head charm, which is a NEWT level spell."

"You wouldn't happen to have a secret stash of it around, now would you?" Harry asked sarcastically.

"Not that I'm aware of." Sirius paused. "Gillyweed is incredibly rare here in Britain, it's extremely expensive and it's not something you find in your nearest apothecary. I'll talk to my contact in the black market but even if he manages to acquire it, it'll take a long time."

"How long?"

"If we're extremely lucky… a month. But it could take months for all I know."

"I don't have months, Sirius!" Harry exclaimed in a panic. "The second task is in seven weeks!"

"I know." He placated him. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you have it by then." He paused. "How are you holding up?" He asked softly.

"Oh, great. Just perfect." He said bitterly before stopping. "I'm sorry, I just forgot everything about the tournament and Voldemort and then with what happened with Lucius last week and now with me finally open that stupid egg it all came crashing down. I guess I didn't realize how much I was avoiding worrying about the tournament until now."

Sirius looked like he wanted to say something but Harry beat him to it.

"I don't know, I'm just being stupid. I'm going to sleep. It's been a long day."

Without waiting for a response, Harry ended the call and threw the mirror on the nearest couch as he stared emptily at the fire.

* * *

January went by faster than Harry would have wanted.

With December over, so was his break. Harry returned to his grueling training routine but instead of continuing with the fifth-year curriculum of DADA, Transfiguration, Charms, and Potions like he had previously planned, he spent all the time preparing for the Second Task.

For twenty hours a week, Harry focused on nothing more than practicing his swimming, and he felt he had successfully managed to learn the basics with Hermione's help. Even though he knew the gillyweed would do all the work, he needed to practice his stamina and make sure he could last the whole hour swimming.

Sirius had managed to talk to his contact and promised that he would give Harry the gillyweed the morning of the second task. Even though he was sure Sirius would keep his word, Harry constantly felt anxious at the thought of not managing to get the gillyweed before the second task.

Lavender's cousin had also come through (surprising Harry) and sent a copy of the records which thankfully included a map detailing the location of the merpeople's village. Granted, it was an extremely rough map but it showed that the village was located near the edge of the lake on the complete opposite side of the Hogsmeade station. Hermione had insisted that they should try to pinpoint a more exact location but without the gillyweed, they couldn't do much. Knowing the general vicinity would be good enough.

They had also studied the creatures that were known to live in the Black Lake and found that they were relatively harmless, with the most dangerous one being the Grindylows Hermione immediately relaxed since Harry would be able to use his wand underwater, and they'd studied Grindylows last year with Remus.

Since there were no extremely dangerous creatures in the lake, the others had assumed that the main objective of the task was to find a way to breathe underwater and be able to find the object faster than the other champions. Harry on the other hand knew that his luck was nowhere near that good and was waiting for the second shoe to drop.

However, the worst part of this month wasn't the tournament.

With their respective schedules full, he and Hermione hadn't had much free time to spend like they had had during December, something he missed deeply. Sure, he still saw her every day, spent all of breakfast, lunch, and dinner with her, and they worked on the second task together. But Harry missed the moments of quiet with just him and Hermione doing nothing but snuggling in the common room. He missed sitting and reading novels in the common room as they basked in each other's presence. He missed snogging Hermione just because they had too much time to waste.

He missed his normal life.

* * *

 _He was swimming, except he wasn't in the pool in the room. He was in a lake. In the Black Lake? He didn't really know. All he knew was that he needed to keep swimming. He was looking for something. No. He was looking for someone. For whom he had no idea, but he_ _ **needed**_ _to find them._

_He didn't know how long he'd spent swimming, time had blurred to the point where a minute could have been an hour and a day could have been a second. But after an indefinite amount of time, he finally found who he was looking for._

_Hermione._

_She was floating there, unmoving._

" _Come seek us where our voices sound,"_

_He immediately rushed towards her, swimming as fast as he could._

" _We cannot sing above the ground,"_

_Twenty meters._

" _And while you're searching ponder this;"_

_Ten meters._

" _We've taken what you'll sorely miss,"_

_Five meters._

" _An hour-long you'll have to look,"_

_1 meter._

" _To recover what we took,"_

_**BAM** _

_He had crashed headfirst against something, but when he looked up there was nothing there. Once again he tried getting past, but he couldn't. There was some sort of invisible wall right between him and Hermione._

" _But past an hour, the prospect's black,"_

_Suddenly, Hermione awoke and immediately panicked right before his eyes. She tried moving but it seemed that she was trapped in some sort of invisible cage._

" _Hermione!" He tried to scream but nothing but bubbles came out._

_He reached for his wand only to find that he didn't have it, so he started hitting whatever invisible wall was keeping him from his girlfriend but no matter how hard he hit it, it didn't break. All the while Hermione was screaming inaudibly, trying to free herself from her cage but having as much luck as him._

_For what felt like an eternity, the two of them tried everything they could, but nothing worked. Suddenly, he saw that Hermione stopped moving only to see that she'd passed out._

" _NO!" He exclaimed soundlessly. "DON'T YOU DARE GIVE UP ON ME!"_

_He continued his assault on the invisible barrier with more ferocity than before, determined to destroy whatever it was that was keeping Hermione inside. And yet, nothing worked. He tried screaming in anger with nothing but bubbles coming out._

_He continued doing so until tiredness took over, and he could no longer move a muscle. He looked up at Hermione only to see that her face was light blue, and she was jerking around erratically._

" _No," He whispered brokenly as he placed his hands over the barrier. "Please don't leave me."_

_Then, she stopped moving completely, her dead eyes staring at him emptily._

" _Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."_


	26. She Won't Come Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, Aani, for helping plan this chapter and alpha-reading it, and thank you ATP Synthase for helping with my grammar.

Harry awoke with a start, panting heavily. He rubbed his eyes and was surprised when he felt slight dampness on his face that made him exhale in exasperation. He had been crying. After wiping the rest of his face he just sat there in silence, regaining his wits as he tried to calm himself down.

_It's just a dream, it's just a stupid dream_

He kept repeating that in his head and it became the soothing mantra that kept him from spiraling. Because that was the truth. It was just a stupid nightmare. It was just his subconscious trying to torture him… _right_?

It had to be. The song clearly said they'd take _what_ he sorely missed, not _who_ he'd sorely miss. There was no way they would take Hermione.

But as much as he tried to rationalize it or convince himself that it couldn't be true, it sounded hollow. It sounded fake. It sounded forced. Because deep down, he knew that it was a lie. He'd known there was something off about the task ever since that night when they had opened the egg.

It had all seemed too easy.

It didn't make sense that after having to face a dragon blindly, the second task would be figuring out a way to breathe underwater for an hour and going on a scavenger hunt for his most prized possession in a lake with barely any harmful magical creatures.

With how dangerous the tournament was and how many contestants had died throughout the years, it was impossible for the second task to be so innocuous and straightforward. And that's because it wasn't.

" _We've taken what you'll sorely miss,"_

The words repeated themselves inside his head, mocking him. It should have been so obvious since the start. It was no competition really. Hermione was the one person who's always been by his side, he couldn't imagine his life without her.

" _But past an hour, the prospect's black, too late, it's-"_

No! He wouldn't think like that. He _couldn't_ think like that.

Harry immediately sprang from his bed, grabbed the robes that he had left on the floor last night, and made his way towards the bathroom as quietly as he could. Thirty minutes later, he was stepping out of the common room and making his way towards Dumbledore's office as his desperate mind made it impossible to control his emotions.

He purposely strode up the stairs and without even bothering to knock he loudly opened the door, ignoring the way it crashed against the wall. The room was completely empty except for Dumbledore, who was sitting behind his desk with a mask of calmness that Harry knew hid his shock.

As soon as Harry looked at Dumbledore he _knew_ it was true, there was no lying to himself anymore. Hermione would be taken as his hostage for the second task. It wasn't anything about Dumbledore that made him come to this realization, he still looked the same as always, but for some reason, he couldn't deny it anymore. There, right in front of him, was the man who would take Hermione away from him and put her in danger. And so, Harry stopped trying to control his emotions, he stopped trying to actually think. He did what he had always done, he sprung into action.

"You're not taking her from me," Harry said in a deadly low voice that even surprised him, not that he bothered to show it.

Dumbledore's mask broke into confusion. "Pardon?"

"Hermione. You're not taking her from me."

"Harry, I'm afraid that I don't underst-"

"You understand damn well, Dumbledore!" Harry snarled at him before marching to his desk and towering over him. "You can take my map, you can take my cloak - hell, you can take my wand for all I care! But you're not using Hermione as my hostage for the second task!"

"Harry," Dumbledore started in a placating tone that sounded way too patronizing for Harry's taste. "You know that we can't talk about the tournament, it would go against the Goblet's rules. All I will say on this topic is that the organizers and I will make sure that the tournament goes without incident."

"Without incident!?" Harry exclaimed incredulously before laughing bitterly. "I must say, you've done a _marvelous_ job at that! It's not as if there was an incident before the tournament even started when my name came out of the Goblet! No, not at all! Everything has been going splendidly so far! It's not like the chains of the Hungarian Horntail broke and it killed two dragon handlers! No, sir! Everything has just been going fucking perfectly, hasn't it!?"

"Harry, please don't use that language with me." Dumbledore chastised mildly before sighing deeply. "We know all of the incidents that have happened ever since and we've been working extensively to make sure that these accidents don't happen in the second task. I assure you that we're doing everything we can to make them as safe as possible for anyone involved."

"I'm sorry, _Headmaster_ ," Harry emphasized the word with as much distaste as possible. "But you can't possibly expect me to believe this, can you? Hogwarts has never been safe! A troll got into the school and almost killed Hermione, a mass murderer infiltrated Hogwarts while posing as the Defence teacher, we got a detention at the forbidden forest where Voldemort nearly killed me, and we had to stop him from stealing the philosopher's stone where he nearly killed me - again! And that was just the first year!" Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak but Harry didn't let him. "Second year we had a sixty-foot basilisk roaming the school as if it was taking a walk in the park while petrifying, and nearly killing, any student in its path, including my best friend. And it turned out that a memory of Voldemort was the one controlling this, not to mention that he nearly came back to life and almost killed Ginny Weasley to do this! Then in third year, there were dementors all around the school that decided I was as tasty as a massive feast is to a hungry man - oh, and let's not forget how another mass murderer had been sleeping in my room for my first three years at Hogwarts and it's honestly a miracle that he didn't kill me during that time. So don't lecture me about safety because I know what your definition of it is, and I'm not really eager to subject Hermione to that." Harry finished coldly to a slack-jawed Dumbledore.

"Look," The Headmaster continued a moment later. "Harry, I'm asking you to trust me on this. I am doing everything in my power to make sure that there are no more incidents in this tournament.

"I do trust you, sir," Harry said genuinely. "I trust you with my life. But not with Hermione's. I won't ever gamble her life on anyone's word! I'm the one that was forced into the tournament! I'm the one who has to face all the tasks that you and the others come up with! I'm the one who has to risk his life in this bloody tournament! NOT _HER_!"

"Harry -"

"Save it, _Headmaster_ ," Harry growled as he turned around and walked to the door. "You're not putting Hermione down there, I won't let you. And if you even so much as _try_ to do so, I will _**never**_ forgive you!"

Without even waiting for Dumbledore to answer, Harry left the Headmaster's office slamming the door as hard as he could. He descended the stairs, fuming with unrestrainable anger as he did before he stopped when he reached the bottom. In less than two hours he would have his first class of the day and he needed to have breakfast before finishing the potions essay he had left for today.

 _Classes! Are you mental!?_ A voice in his head shouted. _After learning the true meaning of the second task you're just going to go to class and act as if nothing's happening!? As if Hermione couldn't be kidnapped at any moment!? Are you going to risk_ _ **her life**_ _so that you can retain the last aspect of normality on your own!?_

"No," Harry whispered to himself before walking the opposite way to the Great Hall and towards _the room_.

He had wasted enough time already during the Christmas break. It was time to stop playing games.

* * *

The next two weeks went by fast, much much faster than Harry would have wanted them to. After his meeting with Dumbledore, he had decided to skip every class until the second task was done, much to the displeasure of Dumbledore, the other teachers (except Snape), and especially Hermione. She had given him a good talking to for his decision and had been very cross with him for the first week because of it to the point where she stopped talking to him. In Harry's book that was fine, it allowed him to concentrate more on making sure she's alive so that he can fix the situation with her.

And that's exactly what he had done. He holed himself inside the room of requirement and did nothing but train. He extended his swimming hours to forty per week to make sure he had all the necessary stamina for the task, he continued practicing all the spells he had trained with ever since last summer and started reading ahead to the ones he would see in the second term of his fifth year. His days were completely filled, with all the swimming, dueling, reading, and practicing he did, he often forgot to do the simple things like eating, showering, or sleeping. After his fourth day there he decided to just stop leaving the room and staying there, he had everything he needed and didn't want to waste time walking around the castle. The room could easily make a bed for him and after discovering that Dobby worked in the Kitchens early in January, he had someone there to bring him food.

His friends had quickly grown concerned about him and had even started visiting him for the first few days. Neville usually stayed the longest with the excuse that he wanted a quiet place to do his homework, but Harry knew he was just there to keep an eye on him. After a while, Harry couldn't handle the pitying looks, the questions about what brought this on, if he was really alright, and the offers for help. So it didn't take long before Harry blocked anyone from being able to enter the room.

A few days after he did he started getting calls to his mirror from everyone; Hermione, Sirius, Remus. It was getting ridiculous! No one could help him and the last thing he wanted was for them to distract him from his training with stupid things like his health or his hygiene or whatever! They didn't understand and Harry didn't expect them to, there was a reason why he hadn't told them about what he had learned. He just needed space, he needed to train, and he needed quiet.

He needed to save Hermione.

* * *

Harry stepped out of the pool and shivered as his body adjusted to the cold of the room. He'd spent the last two hours doing nothing but swimming laps around the pool and the worst thing is that he would have to repeat that he had to repeat that one more time today. He had barely slept four hours, hadn't eaten a thing since his breakfast from yesterday, and his whole body felt sore from all the training he'd been doing for the past two weeks. But he couldn't stop, not until the second task was over and Hermione was completely safe. So his body would just have to cooperate with his brain.

He walked to the changing room nearby where he dried himself and changed out of his swimming trunks before changing into more comfortable clothes. He tiredly moved towards the library area to continue his research on the revulsion jinx before he suddenly stopped in his tracks and oddly felt the need to pinch himself.

For a very angry and most likely very real Hermione Granger was standing right in front of him.

The two just stared at each other, Harry with a blank face that portrayed nothing while Hermione's glare could rival the basilisk's gaze. It wasn't until a couple of moments later that Harry truly understood that Hermione really was here before he sighed in resignation and mentally cursed the month he'd been having before he continued walking towards his desk.

"Sit down, make yourself at home. If you want there are some snacks left from a couple of days ago." Harry said offhandedly as he sat on the chair and started rifling through the book.

He finally found the page and started reading while taking notes on the subject.

"Excuse me?" Hermione said in a voice so quiet, so controlled, and so cold that it would have scared Harry had he not been completely sleep-deprived, hungry, and sore.

"If you want you can call on Dobby to bring you some food from the kitchen," Harry replied without stopping his writing. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

Harry continued reading until he noticed that the silence had gone for too long before he looked at Hermione. She was still standing in the same spot she had been, looking at him in a way that conveyed anger, confusion, hurt, incredulity, sadness, and more things Harry couldn't really identify. Hermione opened her mouth and closed it about seven times before she could finally get something out.

"You - I - we- " She paused and gave a deep sigh before she glared directly at him. "You've been holed up in here for the past week, doing Merlin knows what, barely sleeping, eating nothing but those… _snacks_!" She said as she motioned to the bunch of uneaten snacks on the other side of the table. "If I didn't know any better I would say you haven't even showered! And I come here, managing to find a way to get past your stupid restriction on the bloody door! And the first thing you say to me… is to just make myself at home and eat your leftovers!?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Harry shrugged numbly. A part of him wanted to get back to his research but he knew that he probably shouldn't ignore his girlfriend. He dropped his quill and closed his book before fully turning to her. "What do you want me to say, Hermione?" Harry asked helplessly.

"What do I want you to say?" Hermione repeated the question to herself as if trying to understand it. "What do I want you to say!? How about apologizing for suddenly locking yourself up in here and not letting me here!? How about apologizing for not answering any of my calls!? How about telling me why you did all of this in the first place!?"

"I needed to focus on the tournament," Harry answered as if he was saying the grass was green. "You were mad at me for not going to classes and the others were becoming a distraction. I haven't had any time to answer your calls and by the time I'm free you're all already asleep."

Hermione stared at him incredulously as she spluttered things Harry couldn't make out before she stared at him with an unstoppable fire in her eyes. "No, this - all of this, it stops now! You're going to go take a shower, you're going to come with me to the Great Hall and actually eat something that isn't just junk food, you're going to go to the boys' dorm room where you're going to sleep until tomorrow morning, and then we're going to talk about this!"

"Hermione, I -"

"Don't you dare Hermione me, Harry James Potter!" Hermione growled as she stomped towards him. "You're in here killing yourself about the stupid tournament for no apparent reason! You're either going to burn yourself out and be unable to do anything in the task or you're going to end up killing yourself trying! Is this what you want!? To kill yourself because of the freaking tournament!?"

"I'm not doing this because I want to, I'm doing this because I have to!" Harry shouted as he stood up and stared down straight into Hermione's eyes.

"Why!? Why do you have to!? So you can win this bloody competition!? Is that really worth your life!?"

"I'm not doing this because I want to win the tournament!"

"Then why!? Why the hell are you doing this!?"

" _ **TO SAVE YOU!**_ " Harry bellowed at her before he slumped into his chair as he felt a heavy weight leave his shoulders. "The second task, they're not going to take away my map or my cloak, or anything like that." Harry didn't know why he continued talking, but once he started he couldn't stop. "They're going to use human hostages, Hermione. They - they're going to take you." He finished in a whisper.

There was a moment of silence before Hermione broke it. "Idiot," She whispered. "You stupid, dense, thick, bloody prat! Is this why you suddenly went insane!?" She began pacing around the room. "Idiot! You should have told me about this as soon as you knew! If someone is going to dump _me_ at the bottom of the lake and use _me_ as your hostage then _I_ deserved to know! We could've prepared! We could have planned! We could have talked about this rationally instead of wasting all this time! There are only ten days before the second task now and you've burnt yourself out to the point where you're going to have to rest for the next two days before you continue practicing!"

"No! Hermione -"

"Harry, stop!" Hermione shouted at him before she rubbed her temples in frustration. "Shower, eat, sleep, and then we talk about it."

Harry was about to decline before he took a good look at her face. She seemed as if she was about to break at any second, so he just nodded.

* * *

Hermione was sitting on the edge of Harry's bed, gently stroking his hair as he slept. After their argument in the room, she had left and instructed the other three to make sure that he followed her orders before she left to be in her own company. She didn't want to stay with Harry knowing that she would end up saying something she would regret if she did, she needed to review the new information and think things over.

It was almost three hours later that she had returned to the Gryffindor Tower and was relieved when Neville told her that Harry had done everything she asked of him and was sleeping. She stared at his prone body and couldn't help the small smile that crossed her face. He looked so peaceful in his sleep and so much better than the walking corpse she had found in the room.

Hermione sighed and shook her head before she heard the door slowly open and Lavender peeked inside and looked at her expectantly. Hermione gave her a reluctant nod, knowing she wouldn't be able to put off this conversation any longer. She leaned down and pressed a lingering kiss to Harry's temple before she stood up and walked towards Lavender.

When they were outside, the blonde studied her carefully before she grasped her hand. "How are you?" She asked softly. "You seem tired."

Hermione chuckled despite herself. "Understatement of the century." She said ruefully before looking at Lavender's eyes. "I'm fine, it's just - Harry and I are going to have a long conversation, that's all."

"I would be a bit concerned if you didn't," Lavender said with a slight grin. "Anything you can share with me?"

"Not right now," She shot Lavender a half-hearted smile. "I need to get on the same page with Harry before we tell you about this."

"Harry and Hermione, Gryffindor's inseparable power couple." Lavender teased lightly.

Hermione laughed gently. "Yeah... I wish," She finished in a whisper.

"Look," Lavender said seriously. "Harry may have been a complete jerk for the past two weeks, but he's obviously not alright. When he came down with us during lunch at the Great Hall he looked… _lifeless_ , it was almost as if a dementor had sucked his soul. I'm not trying to excuse his behaviour, but from what I've come to know about Harry is that he isn't the person everybody thinks he is. He's a stubborn, moody, intense arse that can be a bit dim at times. I know I don't need to tell you that, you're his girlfriend! You know him better than I do, better than he knows himself! Just don't forget that everything he does, he does it because he loves you and not because he's actively trying to be the world's biggest prat."

Hermione snorted. "He does have a knack to seem that way doesn't he?"

"Of course he does." Lavender rolled her eyes at her. "Love is the most powerful emotion, Hermione, and only love can drive someone into madness as it did to Harry. And that's without taking into account how passionate the idiot already is!"

Hermione exhaled something that was in the middle of a laugh and a sigh. "What am I going to do with that idiot?"

"You'll ravish him like you always do," Lavender said suggestively, making Hermione shake her head in amusement and disappointment. "Honestly, I don't know. But whatever happens, I'm sure you two will end up stronger than before. You always do."

* * *

Hermione sat in front of Harry as he fidgeted nervously.

It had been two days since she had confronted him inside this very room and they had been avoiding each other ever since. Harry had slept for twenty hours straight and had eaten more food in a day than Hermione had thought was humanly possible. Neville had also forced Harry (under Hermione's insistence) that he should go to Madam Pomfrey who gave him some potions to undo the damage the idiot had done to himself in the last two weeks. In Hermione's opinion, it was a miracle that Harry hadn't done any permanent damage to himself that would have jeopardized his performance in the tournament. So now, with only slightly over a week until the second task, Hermione had told him to meet her in the room so that the two of them could talk about this in private.

They had been sitting in front of each other in an awkward silence that Hermione broke after three minutes.

"Why?" She asked in a small voice. "Why didn't you tell me, Harry? Ignoring the fact that I should have known about it since it is _me_ who's going to be taken as a hostage and ignoring the fact that Lavender, Parvati, Neville, and I promised we would help you every step of the way of the second task, we are still a couple, Harry! We're supposed to be a team! We're supposed to support each other, lean on each other, _talk_ to each other! So why didn't you tell me?"

"It's… I didn't mean it like that, Hermione." Harry said immediately before pausing to order his thoughts. "I… I had a nightmare. I was on the bottom of the lake during the second task looking for my hostage. And then I found… you. You were my hostage, Hermione. I swam to you as fast as I could to get you out of there but there was this… this invisible barrier that kept me from you." Hermione saw how Harry started to silently cry but he continued nonetheless. "I kept trying to get past that barrier as the creepy song from the egg kept playing but it didn't matter what I did, I couldn't. And then… then you woke up." Harry sobbed and violently wiped the tears off his face before continuing in a shaky voice. "But you couldn't breathe underwater like I could, you were slowly drowning. I tried, Hermione, I swear to Merlin I tried everything I could to get past the barrier, to try to save you. I launched every spell I could but none couldn't even damage the barrier, I hit it until I physically couldn't anymore, and it still didn't do anything. And all the while, I had to watch how your face slowly turned blue, I had to watch how you passed out and started twitching I had to… I had to watch as you died right in front of my eyes." He paused as his breath hitched in his throat. "When I woke up, I realized that that wasn't you, that none of what I saw was real. But… but watching that happen in front of me, living that! I-it didn't feel any different from any of my nightmares about Voldemort. It felt just as real as them!"

Harry tried to choke back a sob as Hermione watched him, her heart was breaking in half as she imagined what he had lived through. The mere thought of watching Harry slowly die right in front of her eyes while she was powerless to save him was paralyzing. She couldn't even imagine even dreaming it, much less feeling it like Harry clearly did.

"As soon as I woke up, I went to Dumbledore. I demanded him that he not use you as my hostage! I even threatened him about it! But he never actually told me that he wouldn't. He never even denied that he would use human hostages! After that, I couldn't just go back to school and pretend everything was normal. Pretend that I wasn't going to have to face the possibility that you were going to be put under that lake because of me. I had wasted enough time during the winter break and I couldn't afford to lose any more of it." Harry dropped his head in shame. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't know how it would affect you and I didn't want you to worry. This is supposed to be my fight, you shouldn't be forced into this position. I'm sorry for locking you and the others out, I couldn't continue lying to your faces and didn't want to lose focus from the tournament. I… I'm just sorry. For everything."

Harry's sobs that followed his apology were the only sound in the room as Hermione looked at him. She wanted to yell at him for being a stupid noble prat and keeping all of this inside. She wanted to shout at him for keeping her out of the loop and treating her as a damsel in distress instead of as his partner. But as she looked at him, she realized she couldn't do that. She couldn't stand the sight of Harry, _her Harry_ , looking as broken as he had been the days after the Quidditch World Cup. Her own chest was in agony just at seeing him like that.

Hermione slowly stood up from her chair and walked him before hugging him to her. As soon as she did, Harry latched on to her as if she were his anchor keeping him there. He sobbed into her chest and mumbled incoherently.

"It's okay, Harry. You're okay. We're going to be okay, I promise."

At her words, Harry only seemed to bury himself further into her and hold her tighter, as if gathering his strength from her being. She kept saying words of reassurance until Harry stopped crying, after that she was just content with hugging him and basking on the warm feeling he always gave her and that she had missed for the past two weeks.

They were going to be okay.

* * *

An hour later, Harry and Hermione had left the room and gone to Gryffindor tower where they met their other three friends. Since Ron and Seamus occupied the boys' dorm, the five Gryffindors had to leave the tower and go to the nearest empty classroom. Harry told them about what he had learned about the hostages.

"The first thing we need to do," Harry continued after a moment of silence. "Is to make sure that Hermione doesn't get taken as a hostage."

"Harry, we could use this to our advantage -"

"No, Hermione!" Harry interrupted her. "Having you down there doesn't give us any advantage! We already decided to forgo tracking charms because the organizers will probably remove them so knowing you will be my hostage doesn't help! All it does is put you in unnecessary danger when the tournament is _my_ problem!"

"Harry, I'm not some useless princess for you to save," Hermione said matter-of-factly while she glowered at him. "If I'm down there with you I can help you! It wouldn't just be you alone fighting whatever's in the lake!"

"This isn't because I think you're a useless witch, Hermione. I've known you for far too long to even think that! But do you really think that the tournament organizers will allow you to help me!? They wouldn't want anyone to disturb their bloody competition! And for that matter, how do you know something won't go wrong and you won't drown! We already had the Horntail break free from its chains in the first task, there is no guarantee that there won't be another accident in this task that will end up costing you your life! I'm not risking that, Hermione!"

"He's right, Hermione," Lavender said before Hermione could make a rebuke. "There's no way the tournament organizers will let the hostages do anything to help the champions. The Triwizard Tournament is probably the most popular event happening in Britain right now, especially with Harry competing, I would be surprised if there weren't massive bets on which one of the champions would win." Harry huffed but Lavender ignored him. "Which means that they'll do everything in their power to make sure that the hostages don't interfere with the task."

"Is there nothing we can do to stop Hermione from being taken as a hostage?" Parvati asked.

"When it comes to this tournament, I doubt there is. After all, I was entered without my consent and I was unable to quit. Why would this be any different?"

"What if we leak it to the press?" Neville asked. "Surely if people knew that the tournament was using human hostages they would do something to try and stop it, right?"

"You are talking about the same people who just got more excited when Harry was entered illegally? The same people who didn't say anything when the Horntail killed two people and almost killed Harry." Hermione fumed.

"No one will care, Neville," Lavender continued for Hermione. "This tournament is nothing more than a bit of entertainment for everyone. To them, it's no different than watching any other Quidditch match. Besides, it's like you said the other day, Hermione is a muggle-born. Unless someone like Malfoy ends up being the hostage people won't even blink at it."

"What about her parents? Can't they just not give Hermione permission to participate in the tournament and have that be it?" Parvati offered. "I mean, our parents had to give permission for us to go to Hogsmeade, surely the same thing applies to participating in the tournament."

"Not really," Hermione shrugged helplessly. "Harry wasn't seventeen and yet he was forced into the tournament and they didn't even tell his guardians about it. Where the Triwizard Tournament is concerned, we can't make any assumptions that the parents will have any say about it. Especially the _muggle_ parents of a _filthy mudblood_." Hermione spat distastefully causing Neville, Parvati, and Lavender to gape at her.

"Don't call yourself that! You're not _that_ , Hermione!" Harry snapped at her.

"I am, Harry!" Hermione retorted fiercely. "It's time I admit that to myself. I'm a filthy little mudblood whose blood is tainted with muggle genes. It seems that everyone will constantly remind me of that, so I'm owning it. I'm a filthy mudblood and I'm proud of it!"

"Hermione, I -"

"I know, Lavender." Hermione interrupted softly. "You didn't mean it like that but you're right. That's how the wizarding world will always see me and it's way past time I embrace that." She said determinately. "I'm not telling my parents about this, it wouldn't do any good and I know them. If they even think that things are dangerous here at Hogwarts they'll get me out of here before the second task even happens." Harry opened his mouth and she turned to him harshly. "Don't you dare even finish that thought, Harry James! I'm not leaving you, not even so that I won't be taken as a hostage, so don't even bother! And don't even try to contact my parents through your mirror or you will regret it! I'm staying here with you!"

Harry looked like he still wanted to say something and Hermione raised an eyebrow at him as if daring him to do it. Harry shut his mouth and sighed in exasperation. "Fine, but then we need to find a place to hide you because I'm not risking you being my hostage!" Hermione still looked reluctantly at Harry before she finally nodded.

"Fine," She grumbled.

"Where can she hide so that Dumbledore won't find her?" Neville asked.

"The Chamber of Secrets," Harry said simply and everyone stared at him slack-jawed. "I'm the only person in the whole school that can enter. No one will be able to find her there."

"Are you serious!?" Hermione snapped. "I'm not going to spend Merlin knows how much time in the Chamber of Secrets! It's not only located basically in the sewer of the school but there's also a rotting corpse of a basilisk that has been there for the past two years! You'll have to find another place."

"What about the room? I managed to hide there for two weeks without any of you managing to get inside." Harry added sheepishly.

"The house-elves know about the room, Harry. They actually call it the come and go room or the room of requirement." Hermione said gently. "I kind of… _made_ Dobby apparate me to the room the other day. That's how I managed to get inside the other day. So if Dumbledore asks the house-elves, they would surely be able to find me there."

"Fuck!" Harry exclaimed as he stood up and started pacing around. "So we need to find a place that the house-elves don't know about and where no one can find you…" Harry continued pacing around the room for a minute or so before he paused and beamed at her.

"I know where we can hide you!"

* * *

The week that followed was much more relaxed than the first two weeks of February.

On Hermione's insistence, Harry had limited his training back to his original schedule from January and he returned back to attending classes (something that pleased all his teachers except for Snape). To make sure that he didn't take things too far again, Hermione began to spend all the time with him and limiting the training he did whenever he went overboard. Neville, Lavender, and Parvati kept her company while she did so, but the three often rotated times and they didn't spend all their time with them, which was fine by Hermione.

After all, Harry had two weeks of snogs to make up for.

As the day of the second task started to get closer and closer, Hermione could see how Harry was slowly winding back up to the state he was in during the first couple of weeks of February. She tried her best to calm him down and to… _distract_ him from his thoughts, however, she knew that Harry wouldn't be calm until the task was over. They kept going over their plan for what seemed like thirty times per day and it was usually when Harry started to deteriorate like that that Hermione shut him up in the best possible way.

However, by the day before the second task that Hermione herself started getting nervous. She had compartmentalized all her anxiety so that she could make sure that Harry was ready for the task but now with less than twenty-four aways away from the task, she couldn't ignore those feelings anymore. Hermione was terrified that something might go wrong in the task and she could end up hurt or worse, she was even more terrified by the uncertainty of whether or not their plan would really work. Not knowing if she would end up being the hostage or not was killing her, she hated not being in control and with something as big as the situation she was in, it was hard not to spiral.

She just hoped their plan would actually work.

* * *

As soon as Harry and Hermione had finished their dinner they said goodbye to their friends before quickly making their way to the room of requirement. Harry paced in front of the empty wall three times before the door suddenly appeared. They stepped inside the small, empty room and immediately headed for the door that was on the right. They made their way up the path until they finally reached their destination.

Marauder Tower.

Harry had been hanging around here more on his alone time but the place was still mostly the same. The bunch of pillows and blankets was still there, the couple of tables that had been filled with food the night of Hermione's birthday were still there even if the food wasn't. The only different thing was that the spot where he had put the mirror that September night was now empty.

"Alright," Harry said as he walked around the room and began to ramble the plan he'd burned into his mind at this point. "Sirius' reassured me that no one ever learned about this place and therefore it's very unlikely for anyone to find us here. Since the teachers may take the hostages in the night, we'll spend the night here, and we'll stay here until the last possible moment to make sure that you are not used as my hostage. When we can't put it off anymore, we'll meet the others at Gryffindor tower before we all go down to the second task. Unfortunately, since we don't want to alert anyone of the existence of the tower or of our presence here, we can't call Dobby to bring us any food. So I hope you had a big dinner."

Hermione nodded before gently dropping her book bag and moving to the bed. When she realized that he hadn't made a move to join her, she looked at him expectantly.

"You can sleep in the blankets, I'll take the floor," Harry said offhandedly.

"Don't," She said softly. "Stay with me."

"Hermione, I don't think it would be for the best if we _slept_ together. We already talked about this -"

"We won't do anything, I just… I really need for you to just be with me tonight." She finished in a small voice before looking away.

Harry felt a tinge of guilt at how Hermione was feeling because of him. He had seen how she was trying to hide her apprehension from him, wanting to be strong and not worry him. But the fact that she was if only a little scared about tomorrow was plain for him to see. Without saying anything, he slowly sank down to the makeshift bed and lay beside her looking up at the charmed roof that looked like the night sky.

Harry magically turned the lights off and removed his glasses before he tried to drift to sleep. But as hard as he tried, he couldn't. The second task would be tomorrow, there was no stopping it anymore and no delaying it. And the worst part was that he didn't even know if their plan would work. He didn't know if Sirius would pull through and get the gillyweed, he had no idea if Lavender's information was actually accurate, and as much as he tried to convince himself, he still didn't believe that Hermione would be safe. She was right there with him and yet, Harry knew he wouldn't be truly at peace until the task was over. Until the threat against Hermione was done.

Suddenly, Harry felt Hermione shift in the bed so that she was facing him. He could see her chocolate eyes staring at him intently, and he couldn't help but feel as if she was staring directly at his soul. Harry opened his mouth to try and say something but before he could, Hermione put her finger on his lips in a silent plea that he don't say anything.

Harry nodded reluctantly and Hermione gave him a tender smile. She leaned forward and started peppering his neck with soft kisses.

"H-Hermione?"

"Shhh," She whispered without stopping her ministrations.

Harry sighed in relaxation before raising his head, giving her better access to his neck. She continued kissing him, making a trail up his neck to his jaw, his earlobes, his cheeks, his forehead, and his eyelids. As Hermione kissed every single inch of his face, he felt a month's worth of tension slowly leave him and be replaced by the utter bliss Hermione gave him. She made her way down his face again and began to kiss the corner of his mouth before she finally locked her lips with his.

The kisses that followed were slow and languorous, nothing alike to the passionate snogs that had kept them distracted the past week and yet so much better. These kisses weren't to distract themselves from the reality of the second task, at this point that was inevitable. These kisses were ones of reassurance, unspoken promises to each other that they would pull through.

Hermione pulled away and stared at him for a few moments, her face filled with so many emotions that, in his relaxed state, he was unable to figure out what they were. And then… she _smiled_ at him - and Merlin, Harry was sure that he would never see such a caring, concerned, thoughtful, and just purely affectionate smile like the one Hermione was giving him right now.

Harry had never felt so loved ever in his life than he felt at this moment, and it was this that calmed him more than anything else.

"Better?" She asked with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

Even though Harry was nearly half-blind without his glasses, with how close Hermione was to him, he didn't need them to look at her face and read all the emotions swirling in the eyes that he had lost his heart to.

He put his arms around her shoulders, drawing her closer, as her head rested above his shoulder, and with a sigh, he hugged her to himself, softly uttering with a kiss to the crown of her head. "Always."

As they lay there, each gathering their strength from each other's presence. Hermione was here, she was fine, they were going to be fine. And for the first time since he had his nightmare, he _truly_ believed that.

"Good night, Harry," She murmured into his chest with a kiss above his heart.

"Good night," Harry whispered just a moment before sleep easily overtook him.

* * *

Harry groaned as he woke up the next morning, feeling incredibly tired while at the same time feeling like he had overslept. He groaned and covered himself up deeper under the sheets, wanting to shake the cold feeling the bed had. A couple of minutes later everything came back to him as a smile crossed his face, last night he was in heaven while sleeping with Hermione. He didn't know how he could ever fall asleep again without her presence beside him. It was unthinkable.

Harry realized that the bed was so cold because Hermione had woken up before him. He opened his eyes and put on his glasses, expecting to find her somewhere around the tower reading.

Except he didn't.

The tower was exactly like they had left it last night except for one thing. Hermione Granger was nowhere in sight. Her book bag was still in the corner of the room where she had left it and her wand was still on the table beside their makeshift bed.

Harry immediately shot up from the bed as he ignored the way his heart dropped all the way to the Great Hall as he rushed towards his own book bag and fumbled for his mirror.

"Hermione Granger!" He exclaimed as soon as he had his hands on the object and then waited in silence.

And waited…

And waited…

And waited…

And then he heard it, the sound that made all the blood rush out of his face.

For Hermione's mirror had just vibrated inside her book bag.

Harry immediately shot upward and checked his watch. The same watch that Hermione had given him at Christmas.

It was almost ten in the morning.

_Too late..._

Hermione was nowhere in sight.

_She's gone..._

And the second task started in less than an hour.

 _ **She won't come back**_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I'm back to ALAYWM after like a month and a half and I have a few announcements.
> 
> First, no, I have not abandoned this fic (which might be obvious by this chapter) and I've decided to focus on this fic and finish it before I move on to my other projects. Just thought I should make that clear here.
> 
> Secondly (this goes for the ao3 users), I'm going to split this fic into books under the same 'series'. I've decided to do this because the other installments will be incredibly different in tone (it will be more plot-driven rather than relationship-driven) and style (the POVs won't be exclusively from Harry and Hermione anymore). I'll remind you of this when I post the final chapter of Book 1 so that you know the saga is continuing on another work.
> 
> And finally, in my month-long break, I decided to edit something out. In chapters 23, 24, and 25 I had started the House-Elf arc with Hermione and the others but I realized that I made the same mistake as JK did and started the house-elf plotline without actually having a plan for it. So instead of continuing that I edited chapters 24 and 25 so that the arc was closed out neatly for the future.
> 
> I'd also like to thank Dragonfly117 for helping me out a bit. If you haven't read her fic (The Boy Who Lived, The Brightest Witch, and The Boy Who Wasn't) do yourself a favour, stop what you're doing (unless you're planning to keep reading my fic, then continue reading) and check it out. It's an amazing fic that also happens to be a 4th-year re-write (funny coincidence), so I'm sure that if you've enjoyed this fic so far, you'll love that one.
> 
> Alright, that's all from me now. Next chapter is The Second Task (as you might have deduced from the ending).


	27. The Second Task

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alpha-Read By Aani And Beta-Read By ATPSynthase

Rage.

Pure, unbridled rage, unlike anything Harry had ever felt before coursed through his veins, infecting all his being with a singular focused hatred that almost made Harry feel heavier. All the anger he had felt when he met Voldemort in the first year, when he confronted the memory of Tom Riddle, when he faced Sirius in the Shrieking Shack, when he fought Malfoy in the summer, when the Hufflepuffs humiliated and objectified Hermione was completely dwarfed by the amount of emotion he felt at that moment.

Harry stared at his reflection in the mirror, ignoring the sound of Hermione's book bag vibrating on the other side of the room. He didn't feel the usual headache nor did he feel the urge to pace around the room and destroy everything in sight. His blood wasn't boiling nor was his heart pounding inside his chest. Instead, a cold numbness spread all around his body as the anger wiped away any other feeling he may have had and filled him with focus and determination stronger than any he had previously experienced.

Harry was sure that at this moment, he had enough hatred to cast thousands of killing curses without breaking a sweat.

There was only one hour left before the task started, most likely killing him if he didn't get there on time because of the Goblet's magical contract. He didn't have the gillyweed he needed to rescue Hermione nor did he know if Sirius had actually managed to get it or not. The only thing he had was his swimming trunks, shirt, goggles, and sandals (courtesy of Mr and Mrs Granger).

Harry shook his head as he canceled the mirror call to Hermione before calling Sirius' mirror. It didn't take more than a second before the call went through.

"Harry, where the hell are you!?" A man Harry assumed to be Sirius hissed at him through the mirror.

"Did you get it?" He asked coldly, ignoring the question.

"Of course I got it! I promised you I would and I don't break my promises! I would have given it to you by now if you had taken the liberty to be punctual! The task starts in less than an hour and all the champions are already here! If you don't get her before the task beg-"

"I'll meet you at the entrance of Hogwarts that leads to the Black Lake in twenty minutes." Harry cut him off harshly.

Sirius finally looked at him and his face softened slightly. "Harry, what happ-"

Harry ended the call before Sirius could finish speaking and threw the mirror into the pile of blankets in the corner. He didn't have time to answer all of Sirius' questions, he didn't have the time to even feel guilty about how he had treated his godfather. All of his attention was completely and utterly focused on the task, he'll deal with whatever fallout when Hermione was safe in his arms.

He quickly changed out of yesterday's clothes (in which he had slept in) and into his swimming outfit. He cast a sticking charm on his locket to make sure he didn't lose it in the lake, kept his watch on his wrist, and secured the goggles on the pocket of his swimming trunks. After he was done changing he immediately left the tower and headed towards the Black Lake.

As he stalked through the eerily empty castle Harry couldn't help but let his mind wander to Dumbledore. The person he had idolized ever since he was introduced to the Wizarding World, the Headmaster he had put his trust in - even allowed him to train him in occlumency and basically have access to all his memories, the man Harry had come to consider as his mentor… betrayed him. There was no other word for it, Albus Dumbledore had completely betrayed him. Not only had Harry gone and warned him what would happen if he even considered using Hermione as his hostage, but he had also gone through the effort of hiding Hermione from him in a place he had been sure was completely safe.

How wrong he had been.

Marauder Tower, the place that had become Harry's safe haven and a place he had come to not just connect to his father, but also his girlfriend, was no more. Albus Dumbledore had not only violated his privacy by sneaking in during the middle of the night, but he had also violated his trust - and more importantly, he had violated Hermione when the Headmaster decided to kidnap her in the middle of the night.

A spike of hatred immediately materialized inside of him only to be pushed down. He didn't have the luxury to fall into pieces, not right now - most certainly not when Hermione needed him. But the thought of someone abducting his girlfriend while she slept was agonizing and enraging at the same time. He would make sure no one ever even dared to do that even if it was the last thing he did.

He continued walking and just as he was about to reach the exit, he heard someone call out to him.

"There you are!" Harry turned around to find Neville, Lavender, and Parvati all but running towards him. "Where have you been?" Neville asked in a panicked voice. "You and Hermione were supposed to meet us in Gryffindor Tower almost two hours ago! The second task is about to start and everyone has been looking for you!" Suddenly he looked around as if expecting to find someone else. "Where's Hermione?" He asked, almost fearfully.

Harry looked at them, his expression the same cold appearance he'd had ever since he realized what had happened. As he regarded them, he couldn't help but notice the small fear hidden behind their eyes. A fear which he instantly knew was because of _him_ , leaving him conflicted about how he felt about that.

"I'm going for her now," He said emotionlessly before striding past the three Gryffindors, who immediately followed behind him.

"Harry, what happened?" Inquired Lavender as she struggled to keep up with him.

"What do you think happened?" Harry drawled sarcastically in a way that reminded him too much of Malfoy for his liking.

"Well, I don't know otherwise I wouldn't be asking you." Lavender bit back as the four left the castle and stepped into the grounds.

Harry suddenly paused and glowered at the girl. "I woke up and she was gone, somehow, I don't think she decided to take a little dip into the Black Lake on her own." He saw how Lavender's breath hitched on her throat as the reality came crashing to her before he whirled around and began walking towards the Black Lake.

Even from his position, he could see the large structures that had suddenly appeared in the Great Lake, though Harry was sure that they had been there for quite a while, invisible to the Hogwarts students. There were eleven tall, tower-like buildings far away from the shore but not far enough to even be close to the middle of the lake. Every single one of them was filled to the brim with people ready to watch the next installment of their _entertainment_.

"Harry I -"

"Save it, Parvati," Harry interrupted firmly as he spotted a man he didn't recognize for a second staring at him intently from a tree nearby. He gave a mental sigh before turning to the other three. "Look, you three just go, I have to do something for the task. As soon as it's done, Hermione and I will meet you."

Neville, Lavender, and Parvati were clearly hesitant about leaving him but after a couple of moments, they nodded.

"Good luck, Harry," Lavender said before she kissed him on the cheek followed by Parvati.

"Do us all a favour and don't die on us just yet," Neville said before he stepped forward to hug Harry.

Harry put his hands up. "I'm not really a hugger," He said awkwardly, causing Neville to look at him as if he had just said that magic wasn't real before he extended his hand and Harry shook it.

The three of them left towards the shore of the Black Lake, where boats were taking people to the towers, before he turned back to the man he knew was Sirius under the polyjuice potion. Harry quickly strode towards him.

"You're lucky Hermione wasn't there," Sirius said awkwardly with a forced smile. "I don't think she would appreciate those two girls kissing her man."

"Do you have it?" Harry asked, completely ignoring what he had said.

Sirius opened his mouth and then shut it before he exhaled tiredly. "Harry, are you okay?"

"Sirius, right now I'm really not in the mood to get down to the nitty-gritty of how I _feel_. The task starts in half an hour and I haven't even gotten the bloody thing that I need to breathe underwater!" Sirius looked physically hurt by Harry's outburst, making the boy mentally curse himself. "If you want we can talk about this later, I'll give you a thirty-inch essay on how I'm feeling and why, but right now I just need to focus on the task and I don't want to talk about it."

Sirius visibly brightened at that. "Make it forty-five inches and we have a deal," He said as he fumbled in his pocket and pulled out what Harry was sure was a bunch of slimy, green-grey rat tails. "Alright, this is the gillyweed, this batch should last you like an hour and twenty minutes - Remus and I thought it would be better to have more than less. I would recommend you to only eat enough for an hour and if you need more, consume it while you're down there so that you don't get stuck down there for more time than you need. Also…" Sirius trailed off and looked at the gillyweed with a disgusted expression.

"Spit it out!"

"Well, last night when my contact gave me the gillyweed we had bought he warned us about something neither Remus nor I knew. Apparently, there's a reason as to why gillyweed isn't used for fun by the wizarding world - it's not really _good_ for the body. Soon after you consume the gillyweed you'll get… a _hangover_."

"That's fine," Harry shrugged. "It wouldn't be my first."

"No, Harry, I don't think you're understanding me. This isn't going to be like any normal hangover you get from firewhisky. The hangover from gillyweed is much much worse and it lasts a few hours during which it can't be treated by any potion, it'll just have to run its course."

"How bad could it be?"

"Well for starters you'll get constant diarrhoea for the whole time, you'll feel incredibly fatigued, always be nauseous, painful headaches, and muscle aches. You'll feel like shit, plain and simple."

For a moment, Harry considered yelling at Sirius for not warning him about this until the last possible moment but he stopped himself. Not only did Sirius not know about this until yesterday but there was also no better plan. "That's fine," He said gruffly as he grabbed the gillyweed from Sirius (suppressing the disgust he felt at just touching the slimy substance) and put it in his other pocket. "Oh, one more thing," Harry pulled out his goggles and offered them to Sirius. "Can you use the spell that makes magical glasses work so that it adapts to my eyesight?"

Sirius looked weirdly at the muggle goggles before shrugging and applying the spell.

"Here you go," He gave Harry the glasses, who pocketed them.

"Alright, I need to go. The task is going to start soon and I need to -" He stopped himself for a moment as an image of a dead Hermione floating in the water appeared in his mind. "I just need to go."

"You'll do great, Harry," Sirius said before pulling him into a hug. "Just four more months and this will be all over."

"Yeah…" Harry said noncommittally, unable to believe that fate would let him go that easily, before pulling back. "I'll call you on the mirror later, but maybe not until the hangover passes."

"Moony and I will be coming to Hogsmeade next week, I know you have a Hogsmeade weekend then. Maybe we could catch up? I've missed my godson, after all. We haven't seen much of you since Hermione stole you from us."

Despite himself, Harry rolled his eyes and gave a small snort. "Stop being jealous, Padfoot. It doesn't suit you." Sirius pouted but Harry ignored him. "If I don't die today then I'll be happy to meet you and Moony in Hogsmeade next weekend."

Sirius made a face showing his displeasure at Harry's dark comment but he didn't say anything about it. After a few more brief goodbyes Harry headed towards the shore where the boats were taking people towards the towers. It took almost twenty minutes before he arrived at the champions room in the middle of the central tower which was reserved for the people involved in the tournament.

Inside he saw Fleur having a heated argument in French with the Beauxbatons' Headmistress, while Cedric and Krum sat on opposite sides of the room, both brooding and focused on the tournament. Harry assumed that the other champions had learned about the hostages and disregarded the feeling of guilt at forgetting to warn them. _Not that it mattered in the end, Hermione still got kidnapped and put in the bottom of the lake_. Harry thought to himself incensed.

He exchanged nods with the two male champions but didn't even bother trying to do the same with Fleur, he'd come to learn that the girl was not only incredibly powerful but also extremely fierce, interrupting a row between her and her Headmistress would not be good for his health.

Harry looked around the room and was mildly surprised and extremely annoyed at the fact that apart from Madame Maxime, no other Triwizard judge was in the room with the champions. Whether that was because they were busy making sure the champions didn't curse them for abducting the people they cared about or because they were trying to make sure this task didn't blow up in their face like the last one he had no idea.

Harry spent the five minutes he had left of waiting before the task began silently pacing around the room. All the emotions that his anger had numbed an hour ago had begun to rise to the surface and Harry couldn't afford to let them control him. It wasn't just his life on the line anymore, it was also Hermione's. He couldn't afford to make any mistakes, even if the task seemed easy enough. The fact that the worst the Black Lake had to offer was a pack of Grindylows certainly made things easier, but he needed to find Hermione and get her out of the lake as fast as possible, lest something happened and she ended up -

Harry shook his head and cut off that thought before he could finish thinking it. It would not happen. It _**could**_ not happen. He stopped moving, counted to ten, and then began to pace around again, only this time at a slower rate.

The five minutes were excruciatingly slow and Harry was sure it had been almost ten hours before the canon sounded, alerting the champions to leave the room and head towards the edge where they would be diving off. It was only then that Harry noticed his surroundings again and realized Madame Maxime had left the tent. Harry glanced at Fleur as Cedric and Viktor gruffly left the tempt only to see the girl look completely furious.

"I take it you know?" Harry asked her as the two followed behind the other silent champions.

"Bien sûr que je sais putain!" Fleur spat before she visibly tried to calm herself. "Oui, I know."

"Who?" Krum asked gruffly without looking back at them.

"Gabrielle, my leetle sister."

"Dragomir," Krum said unprompted.

"Cho,"

"Hermione,"

After that nobody spoke. There was nothing to say that would change things or make them better. Any reassurances spoken would be empty, just hollow words said out of a need to fill the tense silence the four of them shared.

The champions reached the edge of the tower from where they would be diving and as soon as they did, four camcorders appeared, flying around the champions before each of them chose a champion and focused solely on them. Harry did everything he could to push down the urge to destroy the camcorder with a blasting curse.

"Ladies and gentleman!" Ludo Bagman's voice boomed all around "Welcome to the second task of the Triwizard Tournament!"

The cheering from the crowd was deafening and Harry couldn't help but scowl at them, he'd love to see how those idiots would handle themselves if they were in his shoes.

"Earlier last night, our champions were robbed of the person they would most sorely miss. Today, these four will have to enter the depths of the Black Lake and retrieve their hostages before the hour ends, otherwise… they might lose them forever." He finished in an ominous tone that only seemed to excite the multitude more. "Champions, please take your positions! The second task will begin in two minutes!"

Harry ignored the enthusiasm of pretty much all the attendees as he stepped to his place marked by a red and gold banner with the word _**POTTER**_ shining proudly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the goggles, putting them on after removing his glasses and casting a ticking charm to the latch of the pocket so that they wouldn't get lost in the lake. He looked at his watch which marked there were just below a minute before the second task began.

"Point me!" Harry whispered to his watch and as he did, both hands of the watch pointed towards the spot between the '1' and the '2' which meant that the Hogsmeade station was between the '4' and '5' and the opposite of that was between the '10' and '11'. Harry looked in the direction and saw that it was to where the lake extended the furthest. That's where Hermione was.

Steeling himself, he pulled out enough gillyweed for an hour while leaving the rest in his other pocket and sealing it magically. He was ready for the task, he'd practiced for hours on end, knew exactly where to find Hermione, and didn't have to face anything particularly dangerous.

"Champions, the second task officially starts in three!"

Harry cracked his neck in two swift moves.

"Two!"

He stretched his arms as the anticipation built inside him.

"One!"

Without thinking twice, he put the disgusting substance inside his mouth and forced himself to swallow and ignore the putrid taste or the way his body recoiled at it.

"Go!"

With as much grace as he could muster while feeling utterly disgusted, Harry threw himself into the lake and hoped the stuff would work. He crashed harshly against the freezing water and saw Krum (who was turning into some sort of shark/human hybrid) go straight ahead while Cedric and Fleur (each with bubbles around their head) went off to the left and right respectively.

 _It would have been nice to know those spells._ Was the last thing Harry could think before he was consumed by a feeling of pain that tore through his body. He felt his feet and hands stretch with an agonizing pain while something started sprouting in his neck. Harry screamed as his body was contorted in ways it was clearly not supposed to, but only bubbles came out.

It was about a minute of excruciating pain before it finally stopped and Harry panted loudly, glad that for some reason the water didn't feel cold anymore. He looked at his hands and feet and was surprised to see them webbed.

"Cool," He said as he examined his body, only to belatedly realize he spoke underwater. "Brilliant!" He exclaimed before he got an idea. "Stupefy!" Harry was thrown back by the sheer force of the spell as it left his wand and crashed somewhere, creating a loud _**BOOM**_.

He smirked at the possibilities of the gillyweed before a camcorder moved to his line of sight and looked at him expectantly as if judging him for not doing anything. _I will kill Mister Weasley for making these things and having them work underwater_. He thought to himself.

 _Alright, I'm coming, Hermione_.

Harry cast the _Point-Me_ spell again with his watch and began to swim towards the east, only he didn't swim. He shot off like a bullet at an inhumane speed. Harry immediately stopped himself and floated for a moment before he started laughing to himself. _I'm going to buy Neville a whole greenhouse for suggesting gillyweed_. He thought to himself amusedly before shooting off again towards Hermione.

As he went deeper and deeper into the lake, it was getting darker and harder to see. It was only now that he appreciated how truly scary being this deep underwater could be.

"Lumos Orbis," He whispered and was surprised when the spell didn't come out of his wand but from his watch.

A small orb of light came out of the face of the watch and slowly started expanding until it was a big, bright ball of light. "Thank you, Hermione," He whispered before pointing his wand at the sphere. "Seqounno." He whispered before continuing his journey with the orb and the camcorder following behind him.

He continued for a couple of minutes, having to slow himself down slightly so that the spell could keep up with him. However, that wasn't the only reason why he slowed. The lake seemed quiet… way too _quiet_. Harry didn't like it, it immediately put him on edge. He had expected at least some normal fishes to be around but they weren't. The lake seemed completely and utterly empty.

Except for _that_ fish.

The one floating right in front of Harry who stopped and became completely mesmerized by it.

It was a relatively small, green salmon that was staring at Harry attentively. Harry completely stopped, not knowing what to do. All of his instincts were telling him to get as far away from it as possible, but it was just a small fish, right? Nothing was threatening about it. But at the same time, Harry felt the urge to not take his eyes away from the fish right in front of him. Why he had those feelings he had no idea.

Slowly, oh so very slowly, Harry started to float towards the fish until he was practically on its face. There was nothing special about the fish, just a normal, harmless, green salmon. Harry felt like an idiot, the lake was getting into his head, making him paranoid about everything. Harry laughed and shook his head ruefully, he would celebrate as soon as he was done with the task.

Harry steadily swam past the green salmon to not disturb the animal before once again casting a _Point-Me_ spell with his watch to make sure he was still heading in the right direction.

And then he heard it.

The sound Harry was sure would haunt many nightmares to come.

It started as a small disturbing sound that turned into an unearthly growl that sent chills down his spine as it started to get louder and louder. Harry turned towards the sound hesitantly and felt his stomach drop at the sight in front of him. The innocent, harmless salmon was quickly growing in size, completely changing its anatomy in a revolting display as it grew too large humanoid hands and tentacles for legs. Harry was paralyzed as he watched the creature grow until it was well over 40 feet long and staring at him with silver, predatory eyes.

The beast growled, springing Harry into action as he immediately swam back and barely avoided the creature's jaws chomping on where he had been floating. With a macabre sound, the creature lunged at him with its large hands and Harry moved too late, for the creature's claws managed to grace him on the back.

" _ **WHAT THE FUCK?!**_ " Harry shouted, finally gaining his voice as he shot away as fast as he could with the creature fast on his trail. He ignored the searing pain on his back and turned his wand on the beast without stopping trying to escape. " _ **Reducto! Confringo! Diffindo! Confringo! Diffindo!**_ " Harry shouted, sending a barrage of spells against the monster.

All five overpowered spells hit true (something that wasn't hard as the creature was gigantic) and Harry was about to cheer when he noticed the noticeable gashes they made on the creature but he stopped himself before he could. Because all the damage the spells had done to it were healed at an extremely fast speed that alarmed Harry.

Turning left, Harry evaded another one of the creature's lashes and blasted himself away from the creature as quickly as he could.

" _ **Confringo! Reducto! Diffindo!**_ " Harry kept launching spells at it which did nothing more than slightly slow it down and made it more furious at the same time.

No matter what he did, there was no way he could manage to kill or even incapacitate the monster and there certainly was no way to kill it. He also couldn't escape seeing as how easily the creature was keeping up with him even with his gillyweed enhancements.

Harry stopped as a crazy idea entered his head.

 _Merlin, please work!_ He thought to himself and braced himself.

The creature growled, almost triumphantly, as it opened its jaws wide and sped towards him.

A hundred feet away.

Harry lifted his wand and trained it on the beast.

Sixty feet away.

He gave a strained sigh and closed his eyes.

Thirty feet away.

" _ **EXPULSO MAXIMA!**_ " Harry shouted, putting all his might into the spell and hoping it wouldn't be the last he would cast.

With the gillyweed, his spells were already extremely overpowered, but after he put all of his effort into the spell and used its most powerful iteration it was no surprise that Harry was immediately flung over two hundred feet away from where he originally was. It was only luck that gave Harry a clear path of any obstacles he might have crashed into and killed himself in the process.

The sheer power of the reaction to the spell was a testament to how strong the expulso curse was. The spell that launched Harry away flew directly into the open mouth of the creature, hitting the back of its throat and causing it to howl in agony and anger as it abruptly stopped its pursuit and tried to deal with the pain the curse had caused it.

Harry, who watched the creature from the safety of his distance, immediately sloppily started applying healing charms on his back so that he would stop the bleeding and hopefully make sure the creature didn't manage to track him down again. Just as he was finishing he heard a series of mass screeching and he quickly turned only to gape at the source of them.

Around twenty small, creatures that eerily looked like small, aquatic versions of a T-Rex were fast approaching.

"Dugbogs!" Harry growled as he sped away from them with the camcorder and orb of light following. " _ **Reducto!**_ " Harry cast and was pleased to see that the spell actually seemed to deal with the creatures, killing three of them.

" _ **Confringo!**_ " Harry exclaimed and was pleased when the curse took out another five.

" _ **Reducto! Expulso!**_ " The two curses hit their mark and finished off the pack of dugbogs, finally letting Harry rest for a moment as there was no clear threat to be found in sight.

 _WHAT. THE. FUCK. WAS. THAT!?_ Harry mentally screamed as he tried to calm himself down, something that was a bit hard given his situation. The Black Lake was supposed to contain mostly harmless creatures and while he could see the dugbogs living in the lake, the other bloody monster clearly didn't belong there! Not only were both creatures not listed as inhabiting the Black Lake, but that bloody monster belonged in some sort of horror movie, not the bloody Black Lake!

This could only mean one thing, the tournament organizers added more creatures to the task so that it could actually be a challenge and be exciting for everyone instead of just being a bloody scavenger hunt in a mostly empty lake. 'Because of course, they would! Why the fuck didn't he think they would! After a fucking dragon, this task was extremely easy unless they didn't add more creatures to kill me. Just fucking perfect! Honestly, I should have guessed it! Fucking tournament!'

Harry sighed in irritation before he looked at his watch. He still had forty-five minutes to find Hermione and finish the task.

"Point me!" The hands of the watch pointed towards '6' for a moment before they went back to normal. "Great! Fucking perfect!"

It was ten minutes later that Harry's relatively peaceful, and at the same time mostly tense journey that he found something that alarmed him. Harry steeled himself and slowly made his way into the abandoned ruins he had found. From what he could remember from his research, they seemed to be eerily similar to an establishment created by merpeople except it was abandoned, decayed. It seemed as if nothing or no one had been down here in centuries.

Had he figured it out all wrong? Were the merpeople long-gone and the hostages elsewhere? Had he been wasting all his time in a fruitless gambit? Harry discarded that thought immediately, if that had been the case surely Lavender's cousin would have told her and the egg wouldn't have been in mermish.

He swam along the ruins of the ancient mermish settlement, it was a small village so it didn't take much time before he made his way through the empty underwater city. However, as he reached the end he noticed a large, humanoid figure looking at him from the shadows. Not wanted to take any chances he immediately trained his wand on it.

"Reducto!"

Harry's aim was true as the spell headed directly towards the shadowy figure who just stood there instead of moving. And then… the spell went _through_ the figure and crashed on the monument behind it. For some reason, he could _feel_ the shadow smirking at him before it disappeared and a couple of seconds later a large force of water hit him, pushing him backwards and giving Harry a tingling feeling all over his body.

"Was that really necessary?" Harry heard a deep amused voice from behind him.

Harry immediately whirled around and aimed his wand under the now visible figure's neck. The figure was a man, a handsome, muscular, blue man with a full beard, regal robes, and a nasty smirk on his face.

"What are you?" Harry demanded as he tried coming up with something, anything!

"It doesn't matter who I am," The man chuckled as he used one of his fingers to move Harry's wand away. "What matters is what I can give you."

"You can't give me anything," Harry said in a cold voice as he started to gradually back away, only for the figure to grab his arm tightly. As soon as it did Harry immediately sprang into action. "Confringo!" The spell passed through the man's chest leaving a small hole that was quickly filled back again with the water around him.

"Is there really nothing I can give you?" The man said as he looked deeply into Harry's eyes and for some reason, Harry couldn't bring himself to look away. "Is there really nothing you truly desire?"

The man let go of Harry as two figures started appearing beside him. On the man's right, a woman with long red hair and eyes the same shade as his appeared while on his right a tall, slim man with the same face as his started forming.

"How about the chance to have your parents again, Harry?" The man said enticingly. "Think about it, having the two people who will always love you unconditionally, who will never abandon you, who will always be by your side no matter what. You could have the life you've always wanted. You would never feel alone ever again. You would finally have the happiness you've always wanted."

Harry completely ignored the man and focused on his parents. It was only now that he noticed how young they looked, they seemed only a bit older than the seventh years.

"M-mum? Dad?" Harry choked out.

"Yes, it's us, sweetheart." His mum called out to him and extended her hand.

Harry slowly reached for his mother's hand and couldn't stop the half gasp, half sob that came out when he grabbed it. He had expected his hand to just go through hers, but it didn't. He was holding on to his mother's hand, she was actually there! She was real! His dad was real! They were here and for once, Harry wasn't planning on letting go! He immediately swam forward and engulfed his mother in a hug.

"Y-y-you're here! Y-you're real!" Harry sniffed as he buried his head into the crook of her shoulder. "I-I've missed you so much," He sobbed while she rubbed small circles on his back.

"We know, Harry. And so have we." She cooed as he continued sobbing. "You've been so brave, sweetheart. So, so brave."

"We're so proud of you, son." His dad said and Harry felt him put his hand on his shoulder. "You have no idea how happy we are that you are our son."

"T-that's all I-I've ever wanted," He said as he turned to look at him. "A-all I've ever done was to make you two proud of m-me. S-so that what y-you did for me actually m-meant something."

"And you have, Harry." His mother said with a kind smile as she wiped the tears off of his face. "We are so proud of you and we love you so very much."

"We love you with all of our hearts, Harry." His father continued. "And we would give our lives a hundred times over to make sure you live."

"But it doesn't have to be that way, Harry." His mother interrupted smoothly. "This is your chance! _Our_ chance! We can all be together again." She turned towards the man and smiled at him. "All you have to say is yes."

Harry looked at the man who extended his hand at him and gave him a charming smile. "What do you say, Harry? Do we have a deal?"

Harry looked at the man's hand, the hand that offered him everything he'd always wanted- wished for - completely and utterly desired. The chance to have his parents back, to have a family. He turned to his right where his mother was beaming at him and then at his left side, where his father was looking at him with pride clear on his face.

Harry slowly extended his hand and was only inches away from shaking the man's hand before he suddenly stopped as a voice screamed inside of him.

 _Harry, don't_! Hermione's voice pleaded. _Please, Harry! It's a trap! Don't do it!_

Harry faltered for a couple of seconds and looked down.

His mum grabbed him by the arm. "Harry, don't you want us?" She asked dismally. "Don't you want your mum and dad? After everything we did for you, all we sacrificed. Are you not willing to do anything to bring us back."

_Harry, don't! They're not your parents! You know they're not!_

"I…"

"Son," His father put his hand on his other arm. "This is good. Don't you think that after everything you've done, all the people you've saved and all the trials you've endured - that this, right here, is your reward? That after everything you've been through this is the universe giving you a gift? Giving you your happiness?"

_Harry, please, don't!_

"No," Harry whispered and looked at his father. "I didn't do everything I've done so that I could get a reward. I did what I did because it was the right thing to do - because then, you two would be proud of me." Harry dropped his hand and looked at the man straight in the eyes. "This isn't real." He whispered in disgust. "All of this is just some sickening ploy to manipulate me."

The moment he said that the illusion of the strong handsome man shifted into a green-ish rotting corpse that sent a chill down Harry's spine.

"So be it." The corpse said coldly and the illusions of James and Lily quickly shifted into green-ish corpses that snarled at Harry before launching themselves at him.

"Bloody hell!" Harry exclaimed before quickly swimming backwards. " _ **Reducto! Reducto!**_ " He shouted and just like with the man, the curses flew right through them. "Fucking perfect!" Harry exclaimed as he dodged right to avoid an attack from his mother's corpse before trying to kick his father's corpse and having his leg fly right through him. However, Harry didn't expect the corpse to catch his leg as it went past it nor did he expect corpse James to throw him violently across the water and into the nearest structure.

Harry groaned as the three figures moved towards him slowly. He raised his wand at them. " _ **Ventus triple!**_ "

Three large tornadoes sprung out of his wand and headed directly towards the three corpses and Harry took the opportunity to start swimming the other way as fast as he could, easily outrunning them with his enhanced and leaving the ruins.

As soon as he felt that he was far enough away and in a safe place he stopped to rest. Seeing his parents again, even if they were just illusions created by whatever water demon that was, was something he had not been ready for. It had taken all of his willpower to stop himself from just throwing caution to the wind and accepting the offer.

Harry panted heavily before he let out a powerless scream that echoed all around before he shook his head at his own stupidity.

His parents were dead, no matter what he did they wouldn't come back. Instead, he'd just wasted the precious time he needed to save Hermione in a pointless fantasy. Harry chuckled bitterly at the fact that even when she was his hostage and not even remotely close to him, it was Hermione who saved him again.

He sighed and cast the _Point-Me_ spell yet again before making his way towards Hermione. He was close to her, he could feel it. He would just need to continue the trek and he would find her. He _had_ to find her.

He made his way deeper into the lake, thankful that he hadn't come across more empty ruins or monstrous beasts along the way. Instead, he was treated to a quietness that constantly kept him on edge but didn't do more than that. After a while, he had to recast the orb of light again since it was getting dimmer while the lake was getting darker and darker. It got to the point where even with the ball of light at full power and right beside him, he could barely see a couple of meters in front of him.

Not wanting to take any risks, Harry completely halted before continuing at a much slower pace. He knew he was getting close to Hermione and so restraining himself from just pushing forward like he always did was taking all of his willpower, but with all of the Ministry's monsters on the loose and his girlfriend's life on the line, he couldn't afford to be anything but perfect.

Time had lost its meaning, it was passing extremely slow and yet exceedingly fast at the same time - the only reason why he was sure he wasn't in some sort of timeless limbo was that his watch was still working.

23 minutes left.

_Too late, it's gone… she won't come ba-_

_Whoosh!_

Harry quickly whirled around as he felt something race past him. His heartbeat sped up as he stared into the darkness, knowing that there was probably something else staring back at him.

_Whoosh!_

He felt it again, only this time it grazed his leg. Something was definitely there with him, toying with him, _hunting_ him. Harry gulped as he tightened his grip on his wand before he suddenly felt the massive urge to duck.

And he did.

He immediately ducked only to hear a deep growl above him and a green blur flashed past him, biting at the spot where his head used to be.

Harry quickly raised his wand and shouted.

" _ **Lumos Maxima!**_ "

There was a bright flash of light, almost blinding, that lit up the whole area and Harry got a good look at the creature. A green, rotten corpse of a horse with dark eyes was snarling at him. Except it wasn't a horse, not completely - the backside of it appeared to be cut off, leaving only weird tentacles instead of his posterior.

As soon as the light appeared it was gone and Harry quickly sprung into action.

" _ **Expulso! Confringo!**_ " Harry shouted as he quickly swam backwards.

The two lights left his wand, and the creature managed to dodge the expulso curse but swam right into the blasting curse. It screeched in agony before continuing his pursuit. The horse was fast, incredibly fast. Not only did it manage to keep up with him even with the speed amplification of the gillyweed, but it was catching up.

" _ **Reducto! Confringo! Expulso!**_ "

The three lights left his wand, and the horse creature managed to dodge all three of them with ease. Harry suddenly halted and trained his wand directly at the monster.

" _ **EXPULSO MAXIMA!**_ " Harry shouted and was immediately pushed back violently. The bright blue light was about to hit its mark but the creature managed to evade it at the last moment.

"Fuck," Harry whispered to himself as the creature swam directly at him at a concerning speed. " _ **Ventus!**_ " He exclaimed and just like before, a giant tornado left his wand and headed directly for the creature. Harry sighed in relief when he noticed the tornado had actually managed to hit the monster.

And then the horse came out of it as if the tornado wasn't even there.

" _ **FUCK!**_ " He exclaimed as he started to swim backwards as fast as he could.

But it was already too late, for the monster had managed to easily catch up to him and _**bite him**_.

" _ **AHHHHH!**_ " Harry shouted as he felt excruciating slightly above his left hip where the corpse had latched its jaw. Shakily, Harry mustered all of his strength and aimed his wand at the horse. " _ **D-diffindo!**_ "

He slashed his wand and immediately the monster let go of him and howled in pain - the right half of its face had been latched off. Harry swam back and he ignored the pain as he took his chance. " _ **Confringo!**_ "

The spell hit true, crashing directly on the horse's face and exploding it in a disgusting sight of pieces of the green, rotting corpse floating all around him.

It took all of his effort not to throw up at the sight of the horse's half-open skull.

Harry messily healed his injury before swam past the corpse cautiously and continued his trek towards Hermione. It wasn't more than three minutes later that he was rewarded with the sight of the entrance of the mermish village, which thankfully was lit by some sort of underwater lanterns.

However, he did not lower his guard. Knowing the tournament organizers they had probably killed all the merpeople and turned them into a race of zombie-like creatures hell-bent on killing him. He slowly made his way through the underwater city as some merpeople with spears and tridents clutched on their hands stood outside and just watched. Every single movement made Harry flinch, expecting them to suddenly ambush him.

Fortunately, that didn't happen and he reached the center of the village where there were four figures tied to a statue of a giant mermaid. Harry immediately swam towards them as fast as he could and as he started to get closer he could see the persons more clearly. Cho was on the far right. Beside her was the blond Durmstrang that Harry only just recognized as Viktor's best friend Dragomir. Next to him was a small blonde girl that looked like the identical copy of Fleur - only smaller. And on the far left was _Hermione_ , her bushy brown hair floating wildly all around her head.

Immediately Harry completely ignored the others and headed straight towards Hermione. She was right there! He had done it!

But when he reached her, his breath hitched on his throat and he abruptly stopped.

She looked _**dead**_.

Lifeless, cold, stiff, pale.

_He looked up at Hermione only to see that her face was light blue, and she was jerking around erratically. Then, she stopped moving completely, her dead eyes staring at him emptily._

Harry shook himself free of those thoughts.

It was just a nightmare, it wasn't real. She was alive, she was fine.

He gradually, almost fearfully, extended his hand towards Hermione and exhaled in relief as he managed to touch her. There was no invisible wall, she wouldn't suddenly wake up, she was alive, she would be okay. He squeezed her shoulder and he couldn't help the half laugh, half sob that left him.

He quickly gathered his wits and went back to the task at hand. Harry swam downwards and started inspecting the rope that was tying Hermione to the statue for a second before he pulled back.

" _ **Relashio!**_ " The spell hit the rope but even in its overpowered state, it did nothing to it. "Shit," He whispered to himself before flying downwards towards where the binding was secured with the statue.

Once again he began inspecting it before he swam back. " _ **Confringo!**_ " The blasting curse didn't even leave a mark on the statue.

Harry bit his bottom lip (unconsciously realizing this was something he'd picked from Hermione) as he looked around in a frenzy. It was clear that these ropes were completely resistant to magic and extremely strong. There was no one he would be able to conjure or transfigure anything into something strong enough to break off the ropes and his bare hands wouldn't do the trick.

And then he saw the merman, and Harry Potter grinned.

"Accio trident!" He couldn't keep the triumph out of his tone and his smile broadened when the object flew out of the merman's hands and straight towards him - easily catching it.

The merman looked at him in outrage before he and three others launched themselves at him only to stop when he aimed his wand at them. "Don't even think about it," Harry said in a cold, dangerous voice that he didn't know he had.

The three mermen looked at each other before glancing at him with disgust and hesitantly retreating.

Harry stared at them suspiciously before turning his attention back to Hermione. He swam towards the rope and started prodding it with the trident. It only took a few seconds before he finally managed to break off the rope and free Hermione from her restraints. He immediately threw the trident away and swam back up to her before he just _looked_ at her for a moment.

She didn't look any better, she still looked cold, lifeless, and pale. But his task was finally over, he would just need to make sure he protected Hermione all the way up and get them out of the bloody lake. Without even thinking, he moved a strand of hair that was on her face and tucked it behind her ear as he squeezed her hands and smiled at her.

 _This will all be over now_.

Just as he was about to swim upwards and take Hermione to safety he stopped himself and looked at the other three hostages. There were only fourteen minutes left before the hour was up and none of the other champions had gotten there yet. What would happen if he left and one of the champions didn't manage to get there in time. Or worse, what if something with the enchantments failed and one of the hostages started drowning? Wouldn't he be responsible for their deaths?

 _But what if that happens to Hermione?_ A snide voice in his head asked. _What if you stay down here long enough and her enchantments fail and there's not enough gillyweed for Hermione? Are you willing to risk her life for these people who you barely know?_

 _What does it matter if you don't know them?_ Another voice bit back. _These are the people the other champions - your_ _ **friends**_ _\- care about the most. Are you just going to leave them here knowing they might die just because you were selfish?_

 _How is getting Hermione out of here being selfish? She's your girlfriend! She's down here because of_ _**you** _ _! The least you can do is make sure she gets out of here_ _**ALIVE!** _

_By abandoning the others? Do you think Hermione would want that? To risk three other people's lives for her? Would your parents be proud of you for condemning three other kids to their deaths so easily?_

_Hermione would rather she be alive and well with you by her side than for you to play the hero card…_ _ **again!**_ _And your parents would be proud of you for saving her! The other three are the other champions' problems!_

_So you're just willing to let them die? Is it so easy for you to become a cold-blooded killer?_

_For Hermione? Without even hesitating._

_She would be disgusted by a monster like you._

_At least she would be alive to feel that way._

" _ **STOP!**_ " Harry bellowed at himself as he stood there paralyzed.

10 minutes.

_Where are the others!?_

9 minutes.

_Come on!_

8 minutes.

Harry looked at the other hostages with a grimace.

7 minutes.

Harry looked at Hermione, wondering how she would react if she knew he was gambling her life for the others.

6 minutes.

Harry glanced at the champions and then at Hermione, and just as he was about to make a decision he saw a figure swimming towards them.

It was Cedric.

As he reached Cho, the older boy did a complicated wand motion and silently conjured an axe. With one fell swoop, Cedric cut the rope and immediately swam towards the girl. He cast a spell at her and was about to swim the both of them upwards before he turned to Harry.

"What are you waiting for!?" He said in a distorted voice before he motioned to his watch. "The task is almost over!"

Harry glanced at Hermione before turning back to his friend. "Take her!"

"What?"

"Take Hermione with you and go!"

"Potter-"

"Look, I don't want to leave the other hostages here. Just take her and go!"

"Then I'll stay with you. We'll both wait for the others." Cedric nodded to himself.

"No! You go and take Cho and Hermione! We need to make sure that at least these two are out of the lake!" The merpeople started closing in on them and Harry looked at the still reluctant Hufflepuff. "Cedric, please!"

The older boy looked at the merpeople that were slowly surrounding them. "They don't seem happy with your proposal."

"I'll deal with them, just go!" Harry pleaded.

"Alright," Cedric said reluctantly before he cast a silent spell on Hermione and grabbed her. "I'll see you at the top, Potter."

"Just go!" Harry said as one of the merpeople headed towards Diggory. " _ **Expelliarmus!**_ " He exclaimed and disarmed that merman. "GO!"

Cedric nodded before he grabbed Hermione and Cho with ease and started swimming upwards. The merpeople didn't seem to be ready to let him go as they started going after him.

" _ **Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupefy!**_ " Harry kept casting stunners at the merpeople who were closing in on Cedric until he was finally out of sight.

Unfortunately, that meant bad news for him as the merpeople started closing in on him with their tridents and spears pointed at him. There were too many of them and he wouldn't be able to cast enough spells to stun all of them and didn't really want to cast something stronger towards them - for some reason, it felt wrong to use those spells with them.

And then Harry smiled as an idea came to mind. _Thank you, Hermione_. He thought to himself before he did a complicated wand movement. " _ **IMMOBULUS MAXIMA!**_ "

A shockwave rippled through the water around him and immediately all of the merpeople were stunned.

" _ **Depulso Circumme!**_ " Immediately all the merpeople were banished all around him, flying in completely different directions until they were all out of sight.

Harry floated there silently for a moment before he started chuckling as all the tension finally left his body. Hermione was fine now, she was on the way out of the lake, and he trusted Cedric would manage to get himself and the other two girls out of here fairly easily. In a few minutes Krum and Fleur would get here and the three would get out of here, the task would be finally over.

Harry looked around him as he waited for the others. He had no idea how long the freezing charm would last on the merpeople but he wasn't sure they would appreciate the offense. He really didn't want to learn how sharp those spears were.

Deciding not to focus on that right now, he swam back up and stood guard beside the other two hostages.

A couple of minutes later, a half-shark half-man swam directly towards them and Harry grinned. Just Fleur and he would be done. The Bulgarian shark swam towards the hostages and bit off the rope that tethered Dragomir to the statue before he grabbed the boy and turned to Harry with as much of a questioning look a shark could give him.

"You go!" Harry exclaimed and motioned towards the little girl. "I'll wait for Fleur."

The shark stared at him for a moment before giving what Harry thought was a nod before he used his wand to cast a spell at the boy and then the two of them were gone.

At that moment, Harry felt a shock of pain coming from deep inside him. He checked his watch and realized there was only a minute left before the time ended. Grabbing the rest of the gillyweed from his pocket, he immediately ate all of it, and even though the disgusting taste was still there, he thankfully didn't have to relive the pain of having his body morph again.

Thirty seconds left.

Harry glanced at his surroundings, not really knowing what to expect. The clue had warned that after an hour the hostages would be gone forever. Would they just disappear? Would the merpeople just keep them? Would a giant monster come here and eat them? Was he just becoming really paranoid?

Maybe. But he wasn't about to take any chances.

"Accio trident!" Harry exclaimed and caught the weapon that launched at him.

With an aggressive stab, Harry managed to cut the rope that tied Fleur's little sister to the statue before swimming towards her and grabbing hold of her arm. Harry made sure he was holding her tight enough before he started to swim upwards and-

"Ugh!" Harry groaned as he tried lifting the girl.

Even though she was still just a kid, she was heavy. Harry hadn't considered how the weight would make rescuing the hostages difficult and stopped. Like this, he would barely be able to lift the girl upwards and get the both of them out of here, and that was if he considered that the lake was empty. He wouldn't be able to get them out of there and protect them from whatever threat was still waiting for them.

Harry looked back at the girl and remembered what Viktor and Cedric did with their hostages. They released them and then -

"Oh," Harry gave a small snort. "I'm so dumb." He said before pointing his wand at the girl and casting a feather-light charm on her.

Once again he tried to lift the girl and was pleased when he did so with an ease that almost seemed too good to be true.

Harry really loved magic.

 _Alright,_ he thought to himself. _I need to get out of here as fast as possible so the best way would be to just swim directly upwards instead of trying to retrace my steps back to where I started._ Harry looked directly at the camcorder who had recorded everything but mostly kept out of his way. _The stupid camcorder will most likely tell the judges where I am and they'll pick me up. That or I'll just have to swim to the nearest shore which will be just perfect. As if my bloody body isn't sore or aching enough already._

Harry shook his head in annoyance before casting another orb of light and started swimming upwards with Gabrielle while the camcorder and the ball of light followed behind him. It didn't take long before they left the mermish settlement behind and they were engulfed by darkness.

He continued making his way out of the lake in a mostly quiet journey upwards. As he started getting closer and closer to the top of the lake, it was getting brighter and brighter, something that Harry was incredibly glad for since facing creatures when you could barely see what was in front of you was not fun. He felt like he was getting close, he was certainly past the half-way mark, and in about five to ten minutes he would be out of there. The task would finally be over.

A low growl came from behind him and Harry immediately swam out of the way, only to see some large jaws just barely miss Gabrielle's leg. He looked around wildly only to see five monsters surrounding him and Gabrielle.

The monsters were all identical, clearly the same species, not that it helped Harry recognize them. The best description he could make was some sort of giant, underwater, hell-hounds combined with an otter. They had pale grey skin, large claws, sharp teeth, and were looking hungrily at him and Gabrielle.

Harry immediately trained his wand on where one of the monsters was.

" _ **Confringo!**_ "

The curse hit true and the hell-hound exclaimed in pain. Immediately after that, Harry felt the waters shift and knew that the other monsters were coming directly for him. He pointed his wand below him.

" _ **Impulso!**_ " Harry and Gabrielle were pushed upwards with a massive force as the other four hell-hounds were pushed downwards.

As soon as they were far away enough, Harry pointed his wand at Gabrielle and cast a disillusionment charm on her before doing the same on himself. Luckily, he managed to do so before the beasts managed to swim towards them.

Harry held his breath as the four hell-hounds floated only a few meters in front of him. And then… they _**sniffed**_.

In less than a second, the four creatures were looking right at where he was floating. But before they could lash out at him, Harry raised his wand. " _ **IMMOBULUS MAXIMA!**_ "

For a moment, he was sure the spell had worked until the creatures immediately lashed out at him.

" _ **Protego!**_ " Harry exclaimed, and almost cheered when the shield parried the jaws of the creatures. " _ **Ventus! Confringo! Reducto!**_ "

In quick succession, the three spells left his wand. The first one created a large tornado that caught one of the creatures and pulled it away. The second one was easily dodged by the hell-hound but the third one hit its mark as the beast had just flown towards it.

Harry ducked and kept a tight hold of Gabrielle so that he didn't lose her in the lake, as soon as he did one of the last two hellhounds took a bite of where his neck used to be. " _ **Expulso!**_ " He exclaimed and was pushed backward onto a patch of plants as the spell hit its mark and immediately killed the other monster.

" _ **AHHHH!**_ " Harry shouted in pain as he felt small creatures bite his leg. He tried shaking them off but a bunch of them were latched onto his leg while others kept biting him. He looked downwards to see that the plants weren't normal, but instead, they were small, green, cobras that were eating at the invisible spot where his leg. " _ **Diffindo!**_ " Harry made a violent slash with his wand and managed to kill most of the carnivorous plants before shaking off the other ones.

" _ **PROTEGO!**_ " Harry exclaimed as the last hell-hound headed straight towards him with its jaws open wide. Once again, the shield managed to parry the creature and Harry took his chance. " _ **Confringo!**_ " With an orange light, the creature was instantly killed in an explosion and Harry finally panted out.

Harry started shaking and put his hands to his face. The stress had become too much and he started sobbing. He just wanted this bloody thing to end, he _needed_ this to end. Whether it was the task, the tournament, the year, or just anything that had to do with magic he didn't know. The only thing he knew was that he couldn't do this anymore. He would give anything to just make it stop and live his normal life.

But it seemed that fate was dead-set on making sure he didn't, and crying about it wouldn't help.

Harry exhaled before fearfully turning his wand on Gabrielle and removing the disillusionment charm from her. He carefully studied her before letting out a sigh of relief. She seemed unharmed, there weren't any bruises or marks that would suggest otherwise. Harry laughed and hugged the girl tightly. She was alive. He didn't even want to think what he would have done if she even had a scratch on her. But that didn't matter because she was _alive_.

After calming down, Harry reapplied the disillusionment charm on Gabrielle and did his sloppy healing charms on his leg that Madam Pomfrey would have to fix up later before continuing upwards towards freedom. As he made his way through the lake, Harry was immensely thankful that he had learned the invisibility charm because it made the rest of the journey to the surface much easier. He managed to sneak past the large pack of Grindylows and avoided another group of Dugbogs. Thankfully, fate seemed to have thrown him a bone because he didn't meet any other creatures that could smell his scent.

He kept swimming upwards and upwards and upwards and his face broke into a smile when he saw the surface. Harry immediately picked up his pace, not wanting to waste any more time in the lake, not wanting to continue pushing his incredibly tired body, not wanting to risk the chance of any more encounters with the creatures that the organizers pulled from whatever hell they came from.

And then Harry broke through the surface and he felt like he could scream in happiness. The task was over, Hermione was safe, and he had somehow managed to survive it. He felt a giant weight lift from his shoulders as he was finally free from the second task. He had finished both tasks and survived! He had managed to get to Hermione and save her! He was sure that at this moment, he would be able to cast one of his most powerful Patronus.

Unfortunately, he couldn't focus on that because just before he rose to the surface, the gillyweed had expired. He screamed out in pain as his body contorted back to its original shape, the gills that had grown on his neck started disappearing at a painfully slow pace, his hand shrunk and went back to normal and his feet did the same. All in all the process took about a whole minute of excruciating pain before it was over.

The next thing he was aware of was Gabrielle. The little girl was crying out intelligibly as she did everything to stay above the water. Harry immediately ignored how sore his body was and did everything to help her so that she wouldn't drown. For around three minutes the two of them just floated as he tried to make sure she stayed above water and just as he was about to give up and try swimming towards the closest shore he saw a small boat come towards them from the distance.

As soon as the boat stationed itself beside it, Harry shouted at the man inside. "Take her first!" Between the two of them, they managed to get the girl on the small, wooden boat where she was safe.

Only after she was inside the boat did Harry himself climb it with the help of the man. Immediately after he was inside the boat, he fully dropped and laid down while panting loudly. His mind may have been shouting and celebrating in victory, but his body was a whole other issue, it was screaming at him in pain, and it only got worse as he started feeling the adrenaline leave his system. Thankfully, he hadn't felt the effects of the gillyweed that Sirius had warned him about though Harry was pretty sure he would pay that price later.

"You were brilliant!" The man exclaimed in awe after he had used magic to make the boat go back to the towers where everyone else was. "The way you handled the Kelpie, even after it had gotten past your tornado. And the river genie! Watching how it tried to trick you with those illusions was heartbr-"

Harry tuned out whatever the man was saying with grunts of approval as he removed his goggles and put his glasses on. The last thing he wanted right now was to talk about the tournament. He wanted to see Hermione and make sure she never left his sight. He wanted to lay down and sleep for fifteen weeks straight. He wanted to get in bed with Hermione, have his arms securely around her before he fell asleep for fifteen weeks. The last thing on his mind was how he did in the task and it also didn't help that Gabrielle was looking at him as if he were Merlin reborn.

Thankfully, he didn't have to endure much of it for too long as it only took a couple of minutes before they arrived at the bottom of the tower where the champions and organizers were at. And at the bottom of the tower was Madam Pomfrey waiting for him with a magical stretcher. Harry got up from the boat and immediately staggered onto the stretcher without a care in the world, internally thanking the matron for using a cushioning charm on it.

"Hello, Poppy," He said tiredly and closed his eyes as the matron cast drying charms on him. "How are you doing on this lovely morning?"

"It's past noon, Potter, and that's Madam Pomfrey to you." She replied sternly.

"Oh, come on, Poppy. You've fixed me up too many times I feel that we are at least on a first-name basis." He forced a painful smirk on his face. The matron huffed before Harry sobered up. "Is Hermione alright? She did get here, right?" He finished urgently.

"Yes, Potter, Mister Diggory brought her about ten minutes ago and she's safe and sound. If anything she's more worried about you than anything, I'm sure your presence will be a reassurance to her. Unfortunately, she'll have to wait after I fix you up. None of your injuries were mild and I'll have to treat them as soon as possible so that they don't get infected."

Harry groaned, but whether it was because of the spike of pain he suddenly felt or because he wouldn't see Hermione until much later he did not know. The two of them entered a make-shift infirmary and Harry looked around to see Cedric standing in front of a bed while Viktor was seated on the chair beside the nightstand, holding a small hand in between both of his.

"Mister Diggory, Mister Krum. I already told you that you two are perfectly fine, you're free to leave." Madam Pomfrey said briskly.

"We know, Madam Pomfrey," Cedric replied in a steely tone. "But we decided we're not leaving until we made sure that both Harry and Fleur are fine." Viktor nodded gruffly but said nothing, instead he was looking pensively at…

"Fleur?" Harry croaked out as his new angle let him see her, she looked incredibly bruised and had a bunch of badges around her body.

"Miss Delacour's family has been alerted and will be here soon, Mister Diggory," Madam Pomfrey said in a tone of finality as she levitated Harry onto the bed in front of Fleur's. "You two are free to go with your own families."

"We're aware, but we're staying here nonetheless, Madam Pomfrey. We're not changing our mind."

Madam Pomfrey huffed but didn't say anything else, instead opting for casting a myriad of diagnostic charms on him and looking disapprovingly at the results. As this was happening, Cedric turned to Krum, who nodded at the unasked question before turning back to Fleur. The Hufflepuff walked towards him and studied him carefully.

"How's Hermione?" Harry asked just as the other boy opened his mouth.

A beat passed before Cedric chuckled. "You know, Hermione asked the same thing about you before we even got out of the lake." He said mirthfully before turning serious. "She's fine, Professor McGonagall insisted Hermione go with her so that she could make sure she was fine. I'm sure she'll meet you when we get out of here."

Harry nodded and smiled at the older boy before he groaned out in pain as Madam Pomfrey started applying some sort of salve on the spot above his left hip where the dead horse had bitten him.

"Be grateful the Kelpie venom is extremely weak, Potter. If it hadn't been treated in four hours you would have been dead."

"Kelpie?"

"Celtic water horse," Cedric answered as he looked at him with concern. "You faced off a Kelpie?"

"I'm sure you faced off worse, the Kelpie was relatively tame." Harry shrugged and immediately winced as a spike of pain coursed through his body.

"Yeah…" Cedric shook his head as if to get rid of bad memories. "I didn't expect for the organizers to add more creatures. Especially some that they added." The boy shivered.

"Yeah, me neither. My first encounter with one of them was… _unexpected_."

"Drink this, Potter." Madam Pomfrey said as she shoved a potion at his face. Harry did as ordered and as soon as he was finished the matron continued talking. "You're going to need to continue applying the salve every day and to drink these four potions." She motioned towards four potions that she had put on the nightstand a few moments ago.

"All of that for my three injuries?" Harry asked uncomfortably.

"All of that for the Kelpie bite, Potter. I still have to check the other two injuries. If you expected to walk out of here and go back to your day to day life, you were dead wrong. You're staying a week in the infirmary with Miss Delacour." Madam Pomfrey started analyzing his leg.

"You're not joining us, Ced?" Harry asked jovially as he tried to ignore the pain.

"Only for a couple of days, Viktor too for that matter." Cedric lifted his shirt and exposed a purple bite mark on his back. "I got a Vodyanoy to thank for this one. Viktor also has one, an orange bite mark on his upper thigh courtesy of a Capricorn."

"And Fleur?" Harry asked fearfully before drinking the potion Madam Pomfrey shoved to his mouth.

"Fleur… she was dealing with the massive Grindylow pack before an Afanc snuck behind her and mauled her on the back and chest before biting at her shoulder. From what I've heard, there were merpeople around the lake at all times and they intervened and saved Fleur. She'll be fine, she should wake up in a couple of hours. If the merpeople hadn't intervened..." He trailed off and neither boy said anything for about a minute where Madam Pomfrey started applying a salve to Harry's leg.

"I hope I didn't give you any trouble," Harry said looking apologetically. "Forcing Hermione on you and all."

"Well, Dumbledore and the other judges weren't happy for what either of us did. They were stern about every champion rescuing their own hostage and leaving the others behind."

"But what about the poem!? _Too late, it's gone, it won't come back_!"

Cedric sighed. "I know, I pointed out the same thing to them but they said they just added those lines as 'motivation' and that we were not to take them seriously."

"How are we not supposed to take it seriously when we're dealing with all sorts of life-threatening shit for every task!" Harry snapped.

"Calm down, Potter," Madam Pomfrey said as she continued with her ministrations. "You'll also have to apply a salve for your leg every day for a week, though you mustn't confuse the one for the kelpie bite with the one for the cobra lilies."

"Great, and is there going to be a different one for the one on my back."

"Yes, most likely. And a different set of potions for every one of them."

Harry groaned before Cedric continued. "Dumbledore told me about the merpeople stationed all around the lake and that they also warded the village, so no creature would be able to enter. If the champions failed, the merpeople were going to escort the hostages and they had some gillyweed to provide to the hostages just in case the enchantments failed. If anything, they were pissed that you gave me two hostages to rescue and that you took Fleur's sister, claiming that you put the three hostages in more danger than necessary."

"But… but…"

"I know, and I don't blame you at all," Cedric said reassuredly. "I managed to have the foresight that carrying two hostages might be too much for me so I disillusioned the three of us before I took the long way round so that we didn't run into any problems."

"I wish I had thought of that," Harry grumbled. "I didn't think of the disillusionment charm until after I had to use it on us when a bunch of under-water dogs attacked us."

"The fact that you managed to cast a disillusioning spell at your age is an achievement in it of itself, it took me until the sixth year to fully master it." Cedric smiled at him as Madam Pomfrey levitated him around and began inspecting his back. "Look, you made a decision out there, Harry. And with all the knowledge you had… _we_ had, it was the best possible decision. If the threat had been real you would have made sure every hostage made it out of there. I wish I had thought of that myself, instead, I was too focused on Cho…" He trailed off and nervously scratched his neck. "All I'm saying is that you did the best you could and much more than anyone expected of you. Just because they put a ton of protections for the hostages doesn't change the fact that they essentially abducted them without their consent or one from their parents. It also doesn't change the fact that the hostages would have been in danger after they left the wards of the mermish village. And it also doesn't change the fact that Viktor, Fleur, me, and a whole other lot of people are pissed at them. So don't blame yourself, none of us do." Cedric gave him a kind smile and lightly patted his shoulder only to slowly back away when Madam Pomfrey glared at him for daring to touch their patients while she's treating them.

"Alright Mister Potter, you'll need to-"

"Apply a salve on it every day and drink a bunch of potions?" Harry drawled and arched an eyebrow at her.

"What did you expect, Potter? These things aren't just fixed by simple spells!" She snapped at him before she sighed. "Be thankful I had all the potions necessary in-store, Potter. With how the ministry is treating the event we might not be so lucky next time." She walked away before turning back. "You'll need to continue applying the salves for a week, they won't remove the scars, nothing ever will, but it will make sure they're not infected. You'll also have to be in an eight-potion regime for a week but you'll only need to drink blood-replenishing and pain potions for the first couple of days."

The matron turned around and began to walk away. "Madam Pomfrey," Harry called out and she looked back at him. "Thank you," He said sincerely.

"Anytime, Mister Potter," She said as she mirrored his expression before she left.

Harry sighed and sank back down in the bed. "Two down one to go," Harry muttered to himself.

"You're not the only one who's waiting for it to end, you know," Cedric said somberly. "I wish I hadn't entered this stupid tournament."

"Really?" Harry asked, baffled. "But then why did you?"

"My father," the Hufflepuff shrugged. "I love my father to death, you have to understand that, Harry. But sometimes… I don't know, sometimes I feel as if he doesn't see me, you know. It's like he has this image of me. He thinks of me as the perfect son, Prefect, Quidditch captain, his bright son with a bright future on the horizon. He focuses so much on my achievements and he's extremely proud of me, too proud of me for my taste. I hate it when he boasts about me to his friends." Cedric shook his head ruefully. "In the summer he told me about this great event that will be happening at Hogwarts, all the fame and glory it could give me, how it could prove to the world how _great_ I truly am. But when I told him that I didn't want to participate in that, that I just wanted a quiet last year to enjoy he looked at me with so much disappointment… I didn't want to ever see that look on his face and so I decided to enter. That way, even if I didn't really want to participate, at least Dad would be proud of me…"

"You did vot people expected you to do," Krum said from his seat beside Fleur before he turned towards them. "I vos the same. Vhen tournament vos announced, everyone expected me to be Champion. I vos Viktor Krum, how could I not be Durmstrang's Champion? Even my best friend, Dragomir, pushed me into becoming Champion. Sometimes, they forget that ve are still people, just like them. It can become a bit lonely."

The other two champions nodded in agreement and let a subdued silence land upon them. Harry stared at his two friends, his two fellow champions who would understand him as only a few could. While Neville, Lavender, and Parvati were his best friends they couldn't understand - they didn't know what it really meant to be a champion. They wouldn't understand the stress of having to face a dragon and waiting in a tent for your turn. They wouldn't understand how it felt to have to face the dragons and all the myriad of creatures in the lake. They wouldn't understand the guilt of having a loved one abducted because of you. They wouldn't understand that being a champion was not a fun adventure where you proved your skill nor was it something that you just shrugged off. And now he realized that they would never understand what it was like to be a public figure and how it was much more of a curse than a blessing.

Apart from Hermione, Harry felt that the three people in front of him were the only ones who could ever truly understand him. And at that moment Harry realized that after all was set and done, there was no way he could say goodbye to the others and each go in their separate ways. The tournament had unwittingly created a bond between them that Harry doubted could ever be broken.

The silence lasted a couple of minutes before it was broken when the projector in the room suddenly turned on and the image of the five judges appeared sitting behind a long table. As he looked at them, the cold fury instantly returned to Harry before he pushed it down. He'd deal with the judges later, right now he wouldn't give them the satisfaction of ruining his day more than they already had.

Not one judge looked particularly happy but whether it was because of his actions in the lake or because of the reactions of the champions and the families of the hostages, Harry couldn't know.

"After much deliberation," Barty Crouch Senior started. "We have finally come to a conclusion as to the points. In the last place comes Miss Delacour, who used the _Bubble-Head Charm_ to breathe underwater. Even though she managed to beat most of the creatures she faced, she couldn't get past the Grindylows and the Afanc and was forced to retire. For managing to solve the egg, find a way to breathe underwater, and defeat multiple enemies we grant her… 23 points."

Crouch ruffled the papers in front of him and gave a deep sigh. "In third place, we have Mister Potter, who was the first to get to the hostages but instead of finishing the task - he decided to stay behind and put the hostages in danger by giving Miss Granger to Mister Diggory and then taking Miss Delacour's hostage. Because of this he was deducted multiple points and ended in third place with 29 points."

"That's bullshit!" Cedric shouted as he stood up while Viktor glared at the judges.

"Leave it, Cedric. I don't care about winning this bloody thing, I just want to get this over with." Harry tried to appease the boy but clearly failed by the way he scowled at the projection.

"In second place we have Mister Krum, who used a masterful partial transfiguration that gave him the head of a shark and allowed him to breath underwater while retaining the ability to use a wand to defend himself against the other creatures in the lake. He was also the second person to come out of the lake with their hostage. Unfortunately, he got injured by a Capricorn which resulted in a detriment of points, and so Viktor Krum ends in second place with 42 points."

Viktor scowled at it but said nothing and somehow Harry didn't think that reaction was because he didn't end in the first place.

"And finally, in the first place, we have Mister Diggory. Who used the _Bubble-Head Charm_ and was the first person to manage to get out their hostage from the lake. He managed to defeat multiple creatures and only had a small injury in an encounter with the Vodyanoy. For that, we give Cedric Diggory, the winner of the Second Task, 47 points!"

Cedric scoffed and started pacing around the room. "Fucking wankers!" He exclaimed and Harry couldn't help but snort at how the Prefect was acting. "Honestly! What a bunch of fucking wankers!" Harry started laughing and even Viktor chuckled lightly. "You should have won! You're the one that got there first! You're the one that focused on saving the hostages rather than winning! You're the one that did the best! I won't have this! I already stole one win from you last year, I won't do it again."

"Cedric!" Harry shouted, his laughter gone as he stood up from the bed and walked towards the boy, slightly grimacing at the pain on his leg. "Honestly, you did just as good as me and you deserve it! You saved two hostages for Merlin's sake so don't even try it! I broke the rules and I don't give a shit about my placement! Hermione's fine because of you! And I made it out alive! That's all I need, I really don't give a shit about this bloody tournament!"

"Cedric," Krum interrupted from his seat. "It's fine, Harry and I both agree that you vere the one who did best. You earned this."

Cedric looked reluctant before he finally deflated. "Fine, but if they pull this shit again for the third task, I won't stand for it. I'll give up my winnings if that's what it takes."

"Don't vorry, Diggory. If they try to steal Potter's victory I'll join your protest."

"Then I'll just have to make sure Fleur is on my side so that a _real_ champion wins." Harry teased lightly.

"Oh, I'm not worried about that, Harry," Cedric smirked. "I'm sure Viktor will find a way to convince Fleur to come to our side." The Bulgarian looked up as if proud of himself. "You also owe me fifteen galleons, Potter."

"It hasn't happened yet, Diggory." Harry raised his eyebrows at him. "You got less than a week."

"Wanna double down? I'm sure it will happen."

"You're on!"

"Vot are you two talking about?" Asked a bemused Viktor.

"Nothing…" Both Harry and Cedric answered at the same time before devolving into a fit of laughter while Viktor looked at them as if they had gone mad.

That was the scene that treated Hermione and the other three Gryffindors when they entered the infirmary and as soon as Harry saw them he immediately stopped laughing and just stared at his girlfriend. She looked so different from how she looked down in the lake, she was vibrant, full of life, she was _**alive**_ and when a giant smile crossed her face he knew she was just as happy to see him as he was to see her.

Ignoring the two champions watching them and the other three Gryffindors behind her, Hermione broke out into a full run towards Harry before crashing her lips into his in a kiss that somehow was passionate but chaste at the same time. Harry immediately put his arms around her and decided he would never let her go. He would keep her safe and if that meant always having her in his arms then he would happily make that sacrifice.

After a few moments, she pulled back and Harry stared at her chocolate eyes, immediately losing himself in them and realizing that would never be able to look at anyone else the same way that he looked at Hermione. That he never _wanted_ to look at anyone else the same way he looked at Hermione.

"Hey, you," She whispered as a shy grin appeared on her face.

Harry gently cupped her face and basked in the warmth it brought him. "Hey, yourself."

"Do you guys haff to deal with this all the time?" Harry heard Viktor ask.

"Oh, you have no idea," Lavender responded with a mirthful voice.

Hermione sighed and turned around inside Harry's embrace before pressing back at him. "You really know how to ruin the mood, don't you Lav?"

"If 'the mood' means that you two look at each other all lovey-dovey while saying those disgusting things you say to each other that only you two can stand and start stealing kisses then yes." Lavender finished triumphantly and Hermione huffed.

"Ignore them," Harry said mirthfully as he turned Hermione around and stared deep into her eyes. "How are you?"

Her smile faltered for a second before she leaned in and gave him a peck on the lips. "I'm fine, Harry."

And for a second… Harry _believed_ it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked the second task and all the changes that we made to it! I'd like to give a special thank you to Aani. She's been my alpha for a while now and I always shout her out at the beginning of the chapters but she deserves another one here. She worked extensively on the planning for the second task (and everything else really) so thank you so much!
> 
> Now, since I didn't manage to find a natural way to say which creatures were which, I'm going to do so now. The following list is in order of appearance:
> 
> 1\. Cirein Croin
> 
> 2\. Pack of Dugbogs
> 
> 3\. River Genie
> 
> 4\. Kelpie
> 
> 5\. Group of Dobbar Chu
> 
> 6\. Cobra Lilies
> 
> After this chapter, there are only 2 (at the most 3) chapters before we start the five-part ( yes FIVE ) finale of the first book in the ALAYWM saga which will cover the events of the third task and the graveyard. I've just finished extensively plotting those five chapters and I'm really excited to cover that arc.
> 
> That's all for this chapter, next week we get the aftermath of the second task.


	28. Ripple Effects

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alpha-Read By Aani And Beta-Read By ATPSynthase

_Hermione was violently awakened from her slumber when someone shook her._

" _Wha-?" The mumbled question was stopped by a hand brusquely covering her mouth._

_Hermione began to quickly panic as someone started to drag her out of the makeshift bed she and Harry were sleeping. "Harry!" She tried to shout as she fought off her attacker, but the hand on her mouth was unyielding and the only thing that got out was a few muffled cries._

_The attacker was bigger than her, stronger than her, and Hermione quickly realized that trying to physically overpower him. Instead, she decided to focus on trying to grab the wand on the nightstand, but all her efforts were in vain as the man easily subdued her and dragged her out of the tower - forced to watch as her wand remained just out of reach, almost mocking her._

_She tried to struggle and break out of the strong grip of her abductor, but all of that was pointless, not even slowing the man down. Her muffled yells echoed along the halls of the castle and for what felt like an eternity, she was slowly yet roughly hauled towards what Hermione felt was a grim fate._

_The man managed to get her out of the castle without alerting anyone, there were no teachers or prefects to stop her abduction. Her lower body was bruised and tired, but Hermione kept trying to fight as she was dragged through the grass and towards the Black Lake._

_When she was nearing the edge of the shore, she saw a group of figures huddled there, as if waiting for something to happen. It was only when she got closer that she actually recognized the figures, and Hermione suddenly felt as if a dagger had stabbed her in the heart as she watched all of her teachers standing there._

" _Miss Granger," Dumbledore's grandfatherly voice had a nasty edge Hermione had never noticed before. "I am truly disappointed in you and Mister Potter."_

" _ **Mphh!**_ " _Was what left her mouth which was still covered by her abductor's hand and she looked pleadingly at all her teachers who just watched her with the same disappointed frowns that Professor Dumbledore was wearing._

" _This is all for the best, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said gravely. "You'll just have to trust me on this."_

 _The teachers dispersed leaving a clearing open that led directly towards the lake. "_ _ **MPHH! MMMMPPPHHHH! MMMMPPPPPHHHH!**_ " _She tried shouting, but all of her cries and pleas for help were ignored as the teachers simply watched with impassive faces as she was forcefully led towards the edge of the lake before being forced to her knees._

" _ **MMMMMMMPPPPPPPPPHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-**_ " _Her yell was cut off when the man roughly pushed her towards the water and held her head there with a fixed force._

_Hermione tried everything to get out of her attacker's firm grasp, she tried shaking him off, kicking him, scratching him, rolling around, everything she could imagine. But the harder she tried to break free from him, the harder his force was. Time stopped having meaning as she felt her energy slowly draining and her need for oxygen rising. It felt as if her very life force was being drained from her soul and the cries and sobs that escaped her mouth were meaningless - the sound dampened by the water and turned into helpless bubbles that slowly rose to the surface._

_She stopped struggling as her energy was drained until she could do nothing. She tried gasping for breath but to no avail. Gradually she felt more and more fatigued, her movements became almost nonexistent as her brain felt like it was shutting down little by little. Hermione fought to stay awake, but the task was becoming almost impossible._

_And then everything went black._

Hermione awoke with a start, gasping for breath as she clutched her chest. She sat up with her back towards the Headboard before gingerly bringing her knees towards her chest and hugging them to herself. Her lip quivered as her breathing slowed before she swallowed a whine that came deep from her throat.

She was just being stupid. It was just a nightmare - none of that had happened. In fact, she couldn't even remember being put in the lake. One moment she was being held by Harry with her head buried in his chest and the next she was gasping for air and trying not to drown while Cedric attended to Cho. She shouldn't have nightmares of something that didn't happen, not while Harry had faced whatever demons he had down at the lake. Not while Fleur was still in a coma because of what happened to her. Not while she got to wake up while everything was fine and nothing happened to her.

But for whatever reason, she couldn't stop the feeling of dread that had started to form in her chest ever since she came out of the lake.

Because there was no way of stopping it, it was almost overwhelming. And how could it not be? There was no way to sugarcoat it, she was kidnapped and forced into a position where she could have easily died. But it was more than that, in all her past _adventures_ , she was always the one that went into danger. She _went_ to the third-floor corridor and under the trapdoor to try and stop Voldemort. She _went_ to the library to put the pieces together as to what Slytherin's monster was. She _went_ into the Shrieking Shack and then did it again when _she_ decided to use the time-turner.

But not this time, this time the danger came to her. Her own dorm room wasn't safe and she had to move out to a safer place. The place that had become her and Harry's haven, where they had their first date, where they almost shared their first kiss, the place where they slept together for the first time. She was in Harry's arms, the place that never failed to make her feel safe, and in the end, it didn't matter.

She still got abducted.

Not only was she abducted, but she was abducted by the _adults_ , by her _teachers_ , by the _Headmaster_ himself! Those were the people that were supposed to make sure the students were safe! The people that her parents had trusted to make sure nothing bad happened to her and yet, they put her at the bottom of the lake as if she was nothing more than an object for the champions to rescue. And they did so without her consent! Without even asking her parents for their approval!

Hermione felt like she wanted to throw up at that moment.

She stopped another sob from escaping her before she wiped away the silent tears from her face before sighing shakily.

It was still nowhere close for the day to start and yet she knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep. There was no guarantee she wouldn't have any more nightmares nor did she know for sure that she would actually wake up. Because now, for all she knew, she could be abducted or even killed in her sleep.

The thin blanket of the safety she felt at Hogwarts had been completely demolished by now.

She left her bed as quietly as she could and sighed in relief when she realized she hadn't woken up either girl in her midnight freak-out - unfortunately the same could not be said for Crookshanks who had leapt off her bed when she woke up. "Sorry Crooks," She whispered at the grumpy cat, and just as she was about to step into the bathroom to start showering she stopped herself and stared at the door that led to the staircase.

She hadn't been able to _truly_ be with Harry all day yesterday, the champions decided to stay with Fleur and Neville, Lavender, and Parvati decided to stay as close to her as Harry as possible. With all those people around she and Harry didn't get to talk at all. Was he alright? What happened down at the lake? How did he feel after she was kidnapped?

She had no idea, and she needed to find out. Not only was it easier for her to focus on Harry's problems now and leave her own for later, but after everything that Harry went through down there, she was sure he wouldn't be alright.

Hermione sneaked out of the girls' dorm room and made her way to the boys' where she managed to steal Harry's cloak without disturbing anyone in the room and creep back down to the common room. Just before she opened the portrait, she covered herself up with the cloak and began her trail towards the infirmary.

As she walked along the empty hallways, she couldn't stop the feeling of dread from rising again, drowning her in a sense of hopelessness as she made her way towards Harry. The hallways were eerily empty and there was no one to stop her from being abducted and put back in the lake. Her heart literally sped up at the thought and Hermione couldn't help but continuously stop and look around to make sure she was truly alone.

With all the stopping, it took her almost twenty minutes to reach the infirmary only to realize it was locked. She tried unlocking it with a simple _Alohomora_ but when that didn't work, she advanced to the more advanced unlocking charms. In the end, it took one of the most complex unlocking charms she knew to get the door to open. She slowly crept into the room and closed the door behind her before she stopped at the scene in front of her.

Harry was doubled over on the opposite side of the bed as Cedric was rubbing circles on his back while Viktor was leaning on the wall besides him, glancing at him with a grave expression. By the sounds Harry was making, she could tell that he was vomiting. Even if there was no smell to it, the sickening sounds he was making meant that he was expulsing. Before she could even move, she was startled when the door to the Matron's dormitory opened loudly and Madam Pomfrey stepped out looking around wildly.

"What is it?" She barked agitatedly. "Who entered the infirmary?"

"No one entered, Madam Pomfrey," Cedric answered softly without stopping his ministrations on Harry before he turned towards her. "It's just the gillyweed running its course. Are you sure you don't have anything to stop this?"

The Matron looked around suspiciously before raising her wand. " _Homenum Revelio_ ," She whispered and Hermione was about to squeak except… she didn't _feel_ anything. And by the confused look of Madam Pomfrey, she realized that, somehow, the spell hadn't revealed her.

"No, Mister Diggory," The Matron said apologetically after she turned towards them. "I'm afraid Mister Potter will just have to let the after-effects run their course. He should be fine in a couple of hours. If you would like, I could put some bedside screens and put some silencing charms on them. That way, the two of you could get some sleep."

"No, thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Cedric said with a firm tone. "Someone has to help, Harry. We understand why you can't stay up all night since you still have to tend to Fleur in the morning, but we're not sleeping until this passes." As Cedric finished Viktor nodded in agreement without saying anything.

The Matron looked at them hesitantly before nodding politely to them. After casting another human-presence-revealing charm on the room, she went back to her private quarters. As soon as the door was closed, Cedric sent a silent spell aimed at the door before he sighed and he sighed and muttered some things to himself that Hermione couldn't hear.

It didn't take more than two seconds before she broke out of her trance and removed the cloak from her and rushed towards Harry as the two older students stared at her with completely baffled expressions that she might have considered cute if her mind wasn't completely focused on the boy currently vomiting into a large bucket on the floor beside his bed.

"Harry," She said softly as she knelt besides him (making sure to steer clear of the bucket) and glanced up at him with worry.

"'Mione?" He said groggily before he doubled up and vomited into the bucket.

"What's happening to him?" Hermione asked the other champions before narrowing her eyes at them. "Did you two get him drunk?"

"No drink is worth that," Cedric said as he motioned towards the bilious Gryffindor. "He's suffering through the after-effects of gillyweed."

"It's really not that bad, guys, I'm fine," Harry remarked as he cautiously sat back up.

"If this is you vhen you're fine, I dread to see you vhen you're sick," Krum said dryly, causing Harry to glare at him before turning to Hermione.

"What are you doing here? Are you okay?" He asked as he gently cupped her cheek.

"I'm not the one who looks like he just came out of a crackhouse, Harry," She huffed irritably before sitting beside him and grabbing his hand. "How long have you been awake?"

"A couple of minutes,"

"All night," Cedric answered at the same time as Harry. "What?" He crossed his arms when the Gryffindor turned and glared at him. "I'm not dumb enough to lie to your girlfriend, Potter. Knowing her, she knows more curses than I do!"

Hermione gave Harry a smug smile before the boy began vomiting again. "How's he been?" She asked the other two boys.

"Vell, ve think he's past the vorse. He no longer has diarrhoea he's been like this for the past three hours. Vith any luck, this should only last one more hour." He paused and looked at Cedric. "Maybe two."

"Guys, you really don't need to be here. You can all just-"

"Shut up!" The three of them snapped at him before Hermione huffed and turned to the other two. "You two get some sleep, I'll take over this shift."

"Are you sure, Hermione?" Cedric asked and Hermione simply waved him off.

"I'll be fine Cedric. I just woke up thirty minutes ago and it seems that you two have been at it all night. Get some rest, I'll take over."

"If you insist," Viktor shrugged. "Though ve'll put the screens around the bed to give you some privacy."

"That would be perfect, thank you," Hermione said with a soft smile.

It didn't take long for the two boys to put the screens around them but before they left, Viktor turned towards her. "The bucket is spelled so that the smell doesn't leave it, but you'll have to vanish the contents before they overflow."

"Thanks," Hermione said as she rubbed circles on Harry's back, who was currently in the process of filling the bucket.

Viktor gave her a genuine smile and his eyes lingered on Harry's cloak a second too long before he turned around and left them alone. Hermione glanced at Harry and smiled fondly at him. "How are you?" She asked when he was done and sat back up properly.

"I'm fine, Hermione," He said weakly and she rolled her eyes at him. "Alright, I feel like shit, okay."

"That's more like it," Hermione said dryly as she scooted closer to him.

"How are _you_? We haven't really talked after the whole task and I can tell that something's bothering you. You've been a bit… quiet."

"I'm fine, Harry," She said amusedly but Harry clearly didn't believe her.

"You should get some sleep, I'll be fine soon," Harry said offhandedly as he glanced at her with concern.

Hermione smiled at him and squeezed his hand. "Not a chance, Potter."

* * *

The first thing Hermione felt when woke up was an arm around her middle that immediately caused her to stiffen. Her breath hitched in her throat as her heart began pounding in her chest. She didn't recognize the bed she was in and the feeling of someone else's arms on her like that sent her mind into a frenzy - wanting nothing more than to get out of there as soon as possible.

Tentatively, as to not wake the other person, lest she involuntarily alert them - she grabbed the hand she found oddly familiar and moved it from her stomach before she turned her head around and caught sight of messy, black hair that immediately made her release a breath she didn't know she had been holding before slumping back into the embrace.

She was safe, she was with Harry. She was fine. Hermione laughed softly as all the tension suddenly left her body, making her melt into the embrace.

And then she remembered last night. It had been close to an hour and a half before Harry started feeling better and once they made sure he wasn't going to vomit in his sleep, the two of them cuddled together in his bed. After that, it didn't take long before both of them fell asleep, and Hermione was incredibly pleased when she realized that this time she didn't have any nightmares.

And how could she when Harry's arm was wrapped possessively around her waist? When their legs were tangled with each other's under the covers? When his face was buried in her mane of hair?

Hermione couldn't help but admire how _right_ it felt to be there in Harry's embrace. The feeling of waking up next to Harry, with Harry, _inside_ Harry's arms... as if that was her rightful place in the world - _**it just felt right**_. The only thing that could compare with the feeling of belonging that was flaring in her chest right now was when she found her perfect wand. When she put her hand around her wand and her magic instantly connected with it, almost reaching out to it and forming an unbreakable bond with it. The moment Hermione truly _believed_ that she was a witch.

And that's exactly how she was feeling right now - it was overwhelming. She had no idea how something as simple as waking up with Harry could produce a feeling this _powerful_ in her. It was _intoxicating_. Hermione truly feared that after this, there was no way she would be able to sleep on her own without missing Harry terribly. It would feel hollow - as if a piece of her was missing if he wasn't there with her. It was infuriating and exhilarating at the same time, it made her want to hit Harry and snog him, or hit him before snogging him - or snog him before hitting him.

It was incensing and thrilling and maddening and invigorating and _just perfect_!

Hermione's face broke into a goofy smile that just wouldn't go away before she stopped herself from giggling because Hermione Granger did not giggle! She was not a giggling girl like Lavender and Parvati who fawned over boys and giggled at their antics - that was the complete opposite of who she was and she hated that Harry could elicit those reactions from her. And he was asleep! She would definitely hit him, or just snog him real hard.

Hermione grinned at those thoughts before burying herself deeper into Harry and instantly stopping when she felt something hard touch her bum. She blushed profusely, perhaps harder than in her whole life, as the implications of where she was suddenly flooded her mind. She was in bed with Harry. _She_ was _in bed_ with _Harry_. _**She**_ was _**in bed**_ with _**Harry**_!

_**She was in bed with Harry!** _

That wasn't exactly news to her, she went to sleep with Harry not just last night but the day before the first task - and she had done more things with him than just sleeping together. They had snogged, he had given her a hickey, and it's not like they've kept their hands to themselves - her blush deepened as she recalled the feeling of Harry's hands on her. But this - waking up in Harry's arms with them pressed together tightly enough that he could feel him hard against her, this was a level of intimacy that they had never shared. The thrill it sent her was only beaten by the fear that surged inside her.

How would Harry react to her waking up with him like this? Would he be as nervous as she was? Would he feel all the butterflies in his stomach just like she did? Would he be scared? Embarrassed? Thrilled? Excited? Surprised? Confused? Would he be affected by her just as much as she was affected by him? Would he find the feeling of waking up together as intoxicating as she had?

Harry shifted slightly and her attention was brought back to the hardness pressing against her bum, causing her face to turn redder than a tomato but at the same time - a small, smug smile crossed her face. She knew, logically, that teenage boys had erections when they woke up whether there was a girl there or not, it was natural. But the hardness she felt right now reminded her of the hardness she felt when they were trying to drive each other crazy with just their mouths. It reminded her that Harry _wanted_ her - not just Hermione, the smart bookworm who had been his best friend for the past four years. No… he _wanted_ _ **her**_.

It exhilarated her and made the whole thing even more intoxicating, she had never felt wanted this way - no one had ever made her feel like Harry made her feel. Everyone had always praised her for being smart, her teachers commended her for her intellect and pushed her to do more, the students either hated her for being the smartest or asked her to help them out with their homework, her parents loved her completely - but their love felt completely different from Harry's. Harry was the only person who had made her feel _truly_ beautiful; he managed to show her a new side of herself she didn't know existed. Being with Harry made her feel like a completely different person.

Suddenly, Harry's grip on her tightened slightly and she heard him give a husky groan before he yawned. Summoning all her Gryffindor courage, Hermione turned around inside his embrace and looked at him nervously. He still had his eyes shut and a faint smile was on his face, it wasn't until a couple of moments later that he opened his eyes and Hermione might have laughed at his adorably confused expression if she hadn't been so nervous at the moment.

She tried to give him a shy smile but for some reason, her body didn't comply with her brain. And really, it's not as if she could brush this whole thing off. _Good morning, Harry. How are you? Sweet dreams?_ No, she couldn't just start a conversation after waking up with him like this. And so the two of them stared at each other - Hermione clumsily trying and failing to hide her blush while Harry still looked like a deer in headlights. For all she knew they might have stared at each other for an eternity...

Then Harry blinked multiple times and studied her carefully before his face broke into a smile and he slowly reached towards her face and moved a lock of her hair from her face to the back of her ear before giving her a warm smile. "Hey, you."

 _Merlin, this boy is going to be the end of me!_ "Hey, yourself." She whispered without taking her eyes away from his gorgeous emeralds.

For what felt like eons, they did nothing but stare at each other's eyes as their faces slowly broke out into bigger, goofier smiles until they were just looking at each other like two crazy people. The spell that had come over them was broken when Harry's watch suddenly started _beeping_ , causing Hermione to look at her own watch and realize what time it was.

"I need to go," Hermione said apologetically as she slowly stood up. "I don't think Madam Pomfrey would be happy to see me here."

Harry looked a little crestfallen but smiled nonetheless. "You'll come back later?"

Hermione rolled her eyes but smiled amusedly as she grabbed the cloak from the chair besides the bed before she leaned in towards Harry and gave him a lingering kiss on the cheek. "Of course, you prat."

Harry smiled at her but she could tell he didn't want her to leave, and if she was honest with herself - she didn't want to leave either. After everything that happened the last few days, Hermione wanted to be as close to him as possible - she needed him just as he needed her. But as much as she wanted that, as she needed that, she knew she couldn't stay.

"I'll be back soon," She promised before draping the cloak over her and quietly sneaked out of the infirmary...

Leaving a melancholic Harry to stare at the spot where she disappeared.

* * *

Close to an hour later, a dressed and showered Hermione was entering the Great Hall in search of her friends. It didn't take long to find them, easily spotting Lavender snuggling into Dean with Neville and Parvati opposite them. Was that how she and Harry looked when they were together at the Great Hall or the common room? If so, Hermione was suddenly overcome with a feeling of sympathy towards her friends - though not strong enough to completely deter her from stopping her exploits with Harry.

"Good morning, Hermione," Lavender said with a knowing smile as she sat besides Neville.

"Good morning, Lavender," Hermione replied primly as she fought off her blush while serving herself breakfast.

"Sleep well?" The blonde asked innocently and Parvati sniggered. Even Neville shot her a sly grin!

 _The nerve of them!_ "Marvellously," Hermione said with a sweet smile while actively not looking at Dean. While she liked Dean (as much as she could like anyone who treated Harry like the rest of the school did after his name came out of the Goblet), she didn't want him knowing what went on in her personal life.

Thankfully Lavender had managed to read her cues. "Are you done with McGonagall's essay about vanishing spells?" When Hermione shook her head she continued. "We were thinking about heading to the library and finishing it today, are you interested?"

"Sorry, I can't - I need to go see Harry at the infirmary," Hermione responded as she tried to eat quicker than usual.

The other four Gryffindors shared a look. "How long is Harry going to stay there?" Parvati asked.

"Madam Pomfrey said that he would have to stay there a week. Cedric and Viktor are cleared to leave tomorrow and Fleur is going to be moved to St Mungo's on Tuesday."

Everyone squirmed uncomfortably in their seat, Lavender had told Hermione that they had all seen what had happened to Fleur and it wasn't pretty. And when she asked them about Harry they didn't say a word to her about it - Hermione didn't know if she should feel irritated that they were hiding this from her or happy about how loyal they were to Harry. So she just settled for being annoyed, knowing that Harry would eventually tell her what had happened in the second task.

And then she caught Lavender's eye... "What is it?"

Lavender looked nervously at Neville and Parvati before she turned back towards her. Wordlessly she reached under the table and pulled out a newspaper which she tentatively handed to Hermione with an apologetic glance. Hermione immediately focused on the article as everyone watched her as if she was a bomb about to explode.

_Harry Potter… A Danger To The Triwizard Tournament?_

_Written By: Rita Skeeter_

_Yesterday morning, the second task of the Triwizard Tournament took place in the Black Lake at the Hogwarts grounds. For the task, the person the champions would most sorely miss was taken from them and they were forced to traverse the lake and its creatures to rescue their respective hostages._

_During the task, each champion had to face a set of deadly creatures that tried to stop them from reaching their champions, and the audience got to witness all of these encounters - cheering on the champions as they completed their task._

_However, it was his actions after Harry Potter had found his hostage that prove something that this reporter has been trying to advertise ever since he cheated his way into being a champion. Harry Potter is a danger to himself, to the other champions, and the Triwizard Tournament as a whole._

" _What Mister Potter endured was tragic," Barty Crouch Senior, judge, and organizer of the Triwizard Tournament commented on this. "However, that doesn't excuse his actions during the second task. By 'rescuing' Miss Delacour from the Lake he only put her in more danger because of his ridiculous stunt and risked the lives of three hostages. We'll be taking steps to make sure Mister Potter doesn't break any more rules and risk the lives of more people, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Delacours decided to take legal action for the irresponsible, and frankly childish, behaviours of the champion who cheated his way into the tournament in the first place."_

_Harry Potter's decision to try to prove himself as a hero by trying to rescue all the hostages could have been fatal. By removing them from the care of the merpeople and taking them out of the protective wards that kept them safe from the creatures in the lake, three hostages and the two Hogwarts champions could have been killed during the task. While this reporter realizes that the second task had been stressful for the last Potter - it doesn't change the fact that his actions were uncalled for and could have killed multiple innocent people._

_This reporter urges the organizers of the Triwizard Tournament to make sure that Harry Potter can't continue using the tournament for his advantage. He did it at first by cheating his way into the tournament in a way that forced the organizers to let him compete. Then he proceeded to use the first task to prove himself by angering the dragon in an action that resulted in the deaths of three dragon handlers. And he did it again during the second task, risking five lives in the hopes to maintain his lead._

_We can only hope that Harry Potter's actions in the Third Task don't result in the death of a champion._

_Pages 2 and 3: A detailed walkthrough of the events of the second task_

_Page 4: The Third Task - all you need to know_

Hermione gaped at the paper in front of her, she could feel her heart pounding on her chest, her blood boiling, and she felt a large headache growing. She was so engrossed in the paper, glaring at it with an intensity she had never felt before, that she didn't realize her hands were shaking until Neville gently grabbed them in an attempt to calm her down.

"That… that… that…" _That bitch!_ Hermione violently threw the paper into the table in front of her, disgusted that she was even touching that piece of filth before she turned to look at four very nervous Gryffindors. "That… _woman_!" She shouted and ignored how she had caught the attention of the people nearby. Her head felt like it was constricting in itself - for the first time in her life she couldn't even think properly. "How dare she imply that Harry is at fault for everything that's gone wrong in this bloody tournament!"

"She's wrong," Lavender said simply. "We all know it - just ignore it."

Hermione scoffed at Lavender for implying she should just ignore them. Hermione conveniently chose to forget that she had told Harry to ignore the howlers she (and the other girls mentioned in the Yule Ball article) received all through January. But this was different, first of all - it wasn't like she could burn all the Daily Prophet's in the school like Harry did with the howlers she received. Secondly, this was _Harry_ , after everything that had happened to him this year, the last thing he deserved was this _slander_!

She was going to make Skeeter pay, even if it was the last thing she'd do.

"How did she even know about it? I didn't see her at the Task yesterday," Neville asked as he picked up the paper and started re-reading the article.

"She could've been in another tower for all we know, and besides - it's not like that's stopped her before. We asked Ginny and Kathleen if either of them had given Skeeter an interview and they told us that they didn't." Parvati reasoned.

"And you believed them?" Hermione asked incredulously. She didn't have anything against Ginny, but it was clear to anyone with half a brain that she still had feelings for Harry, and making that article would have been something not too far out of reach.

"Of course we did," Lavender said in a way that reminded her too much of her tone when she tried to explain something to Ron. "Skeeter has a reputation, she somehow always manages to be in the right place at the right time to get her scoops. There have even been cases where she has gotten scoops out of people who talked alone in a locked room and with security on the entrances. While she sensationalizes everything she writes, everyone respects Skeeter for how she always manages to get more exclusives than any other reporter."

"So you think Ginny didn't tell her but that Rita somehow overheard a conversation between those two during the Yule Ball?" Hermione asked slowly.

"There were a lot of reporters here that night," Lavender shrugged. "For all we know she might have been here."

"We need to warn Harry," Neville spoke up. "He'll probably get a bunch of howlers for the next few weeks."

"And not just howlers," Lavender said, concerned. "It wouldn't surprise me if Malfoy or another Slytherin tried to use the article to get a rise out of Harry."

"It definitely wouldn't be Malfoy, he's been _quiet_ ever since he came back." Parvati pointed out and everyone turned to stare at the blond who was currently sitting alone on the other side of the Great Hall.

Ever since Malfoy and the others who were at St Mungo's returned to the school two weeks ago he had been quiet. It seemed as if he had lost all his swagger and entitlement, not even Crabbe and Goyle were following him now. He often sulked alone, in the back of the class, without actually doing anything. After everything Harry told her about Malfoy back in December she didn't know how to feel about him now - and by the looks of the other three that knew the truth about Malfoy, she wasn't the only one.

Hermione sighed, pushing all the thoughts of Malfoy out of her mind as she glanced at the newspaper with repulsion. "I'll bring the paper to him later today." Hermione paused - she knew that she had to show Harry the paper but she wished she could wait until after he was out of the infirmary to do so. "He won't like this."

"We can come with you if you want," Neville said shyly.

"I don't know if Madam Pomfrey will allow all of us to come and visit him at once," Hermione said with a pointed look at Lavender. Alright, she didn't _know_ that, but she knew Harry didn't like Dean even if he tolerated him for Lavender's sake. However, that didn't mean that he would want him to visit while he was at the infirmary.

"You guys go, I'll go visit him after I'm done with the Transfiguration essay," Lavender said offhandedly but she gave Hermione a small nod and a smile to reassure her that she understood.

Twenty minutes later, Hermione had finished her breakfast and she made her way to the infirmary with Neville and Parvati. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt at basically excluding Lavender from coming, but in the end, she convinced herself that Lavender could come and visit him at any time. It was for the best really, that way Harry wouldn't do something stupid while in the infirmary like start a row with Dean.

When they arrived at the infirmary, Hermione was happy to see that the screens around Harry's bed were gone. He was sitting on his bed while talking to Viktor, who was laying on the bed beside him, and Cedric, who was standing in front of both beds. Madam Pomfrey ushered them in and told them to make sure Harry didn't stand up since he was still in a bad condition, before going to her office.

"I honestly can't believe you did that!" Hermione heard Cedric laugh as the three Gryffindors quietly made their way towards the champions.

" _You_ can't believe _I_ did that!? I'm sorry, but out of the three of us I was the only normal one!" Harry finished off with mock indignation.

"Ve didn't attack the merpeople nor did ve steal their tridents," Viktor said amusedly.

"No, _you_ just turned into a half-shark and used your teeth to break off the rope! And you!" He turned towards Cedric. "You conjured an axe for no reason! There must have been less dramatic ways to break the rope!"

"It was better to be safe than sorry," Cedric said, slightly abashed, causing Harry and Viktor to laugh.

Hermione couldn't help but smile at the display in front of her, even if a part of her felt sad that Harry was talking to the champions about what happened in the lake and not her. She pushed those feelings down and walked towards Harry's bed.

"What's this about, now?" She asked coyly as she plopped down next to Harry on his bed while Parvati and Neville sat down on the chairs nearby.

"Oooooh, someone's in trouble!" Cedric teased and Viktor joined him by laughing.

"I'm not in trouble…" Harry chanced a glance at Hermione. "At least I don't think so," He mumbled, drowned by the laughs from the other two champions.

"What did you do now, Harry James?" She raised her eyebrows at him and was surprised when he didn't seem hesitant to tell her like he was yesterday. In fact, she hadn't seen him look this relaxed since January.

_I need to give Cedric and Viktor small gifts for whatever they did to Harry while I was gone._

"These two," Harry mock-glared at the two champions. "Think that I had the craziest solution for releasing you from the rope in the second task."

"Oh?" Hermione gave him a small smile.

"I'm sorry, Harry - but they're right," Parvati spoke up.

"Vindication!" Cried out Cedric much to everyone else's amusement (except Harry's of course).

"Parvati!" He exclaimed.

"What!? It's true! Even Neville knows it!" Parvati looked expectantly at Neville.

"Well…"

"Neville!"

"It's not my fault!" The boy cried out as everyone else laughed. "You could have grabbed a rock or something instead of stealing a trident from a merman."

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, not sure whether she should be amused or disapproving.

"What! It was the easiest way to free you!"

"Honestly!" Hermione muttered to herself and ducked her head to hide the smile that crossed her lips.

"In all seriousness," Cedric started as he calmed down. "You should learn transfiguration and conjuration magic for practical purposes, Harry. Like I've told you, it saved my life multiple times yesterday. Defensive and offensive spells only take you so far - you should try to focus on them for the next few months."

"But isn't it better to just master a few spells and know how to use them rather than trying to learn all of them?"

"Not necessarily," Viktor answered. "In Durmstrang ve haff a large focus on dueling, there are even dueling tournaments throughout the school year, and the best duellers always use conjuration and transfiguration charms in their duels. It's the same in real duels - for example, you can't use a shield charm for the killing curse but you can conjure or transfigure an object to block it."

"Exactly!" Cedric said brightly. "And while I doubt we'll have to face against killing curses in the third task that doesn't mean having these sorts of spells up your arsenal."

Harry looked thoughtful before he nodded. "Alright, alright - fine." Harry raised his arms in surrender and then looked downwards and Hermione panicked - she had completely forgotten about the newspaper. "Huh, so you've read the paper?" He asked casually as if he was talking about any other article rather than an article bashing him.

"Err…" Hermione trailed off, feeling the need to pinch herself.

Harry snorted before grabbing the paper and setting it on the nightstand beside the bed. Harry then proceeded to grab her hand and intertwine their fingers, giving her a squeeze and a sly smile.

 _I'm definitely going to have to give those two a ton of chocolate frogs._ Hermione thought to herself as she settled her head atop his shoulder and ignored the knowing glances everyone was sending them.

"You know you're gonna get a ton of howlers and letters, right?" Neville asked him.

"The castle's still cold," Harry shrugged. "We could use more fires around here."

Hermione chuckled and slapped his shoulder half-heartedly while everybody laughed. She loved the feel of Harry beside her, solid, _real_. He was here and she was here with him too. Hermione snuggled closer to him and squeezed his hand.

Yes, he was here with her.

* * *

The rest of the week was mind-numbingly dull for Harry.

Every morning he would wake up, drink the stacks of potions that Madam Pomfrey left on his nightstand before applying the salve on his three injuries, giving Harry plenty of time to get acquainted with his new scars. He had a long, bright blue scar in the shape of four claws that ranged from his upper right back to its dead center, just above the burns. Slightly above his left hip, he had a green bite mark from what looked like a horse's jaw. And finally on both his legs, he had small, red bite marks that looked like snake bites.

Every time he applied the salve on them he tried recalling Hermione's words from November. He tried to remember that Hermione didn't care about the scars and he logically knew that - Hermione just wasn't the type of person shallow enough to let the scars come in between their relationship. But every time he stared at his mauled body he couldn't help but feel disgusted with himself. How could Hermione ever love someone as disgusting as himself? Because that's exactly what he was, completely and utterly revolting. He'd seen Ron, Dean, Seamus, and Neville in their dormitory shirtless a lot of times - and they weren't covered with the heinous scars like he was.

He just hoped Hermione never wised up to the fact that she deserved so much better than him. As much as he wanted to say otherwise, he was selfish. He needed Hermione much more than he was willing to admit. The thought of her not being in his life or being with another person was physically painful to him - he honestly didn't know what he would do without her.

She had become his whole world and he was too selfish to let her go.

And how much he needed Hermione had become extremely clear in that week that he was at the hospital. Every time she wasn't there with him he felt the constant _need_ to have her there with him, by his side, where he could be sure she was fine. That she was safe. He needed her in the day so that he could make sure she was alright - so that he could see her beautiful smile and now deep in his heart that she was there. And he needed her during the nights because at this point, holding her in his arms was the only thing that chased away his constant nightmares where she drowned and Harry couldn't save her.

He was extremely grateful that Hermione was so willing to comply, she spent most of her free time with him at the infirmary - either doing homework, reading, talking, or just snuggling with him in silence. Having her like that was doing more good than all of his potions and salves combined. And he was thrilled that Hermione basically decided that curfew and dozens of other rules didn't exist by sneaking in every night to the infirmary and sleeping with him, letting him hold her at night.

He honestly didn't know what he would do if she wasn't there in his bed every night.

The first morning that he woke up with Hermione in his embrace… he couldn't find the words to describe it. The feeling of her was too thrilling, too blissful, too _right_ to even describe it. The way Hermione felt in his arms when he woke up was just... _perfect_ \- as if she was meant to be there with him when she woke up. It was during that first moment that he would never be able to sleep the same again, not if Hermione wasn't there with him. The thought of sleeping without Hermione became as ludicrous as the thought of doing magic without his wand - it was possible, but extremely hard and it would never feel the same.

Unfortunately, Hermione wasn't always with him all the time. She had to still go to classes, she had to go shower, and eat, and do other things that kept her away from him. The first couple of days it was fine, Cedric and Viktor were staying with him all the time and he had grown much closer to them than he thought possible. The three of them had talked about their respective experiences with the task and it felt good to be able to talk with people who could actually understand him. They had gone through the task just like him - they knew exactly how it felt like. The two of them opening up about their experiences in the Lake gave him the courage to do the same.

And as Harry started talking more and more about it, it felt as if a weight was slowly leaving his shoulders. Apart from Hermione, he had never had people he could talk about the important things with. Ron was always a bit immature about them and he didn't really hang out with anyone else before this year. Even with Sirius and Remus, it was hard to completely open up with them. But with Cedric and Viktor it felt like second nature, it felt natural to talk with them about it.

Unfortunately, they were gone after two days, and even though they came around every once in a while to visit him, it just wasn't the same. Fleur hadn't managed to wake up before she was sent to St Mungo's once she was safe to move so that she could properly heal. And when she was gone Harry was left alone for most of the time. Sure, Hermione was always around in her free time and Neville, Lavender, and Parvati came to visit often - but that didn't change the fact that they were busy most of the time.

And so, for almost a full week, Harry was pretty much alone. He couldn't even get up from the bed to walk around! He had forgotten how much he hated staying in the infirmary and couldn't wait to just get out of here.

Anything had to be better than the hell that he currently was living in.

* * *

"Oh, honestly Harry!" Hermione said exasperatedly. "It's not like this was hell!"

"How about next time, you spend a whole week in bed without being able to do simple things like going to the library," Harry grumbled as he was slowly pacing in front of his bed, extremely painful his limp was gone by now.

"I'll just have you be my personal book carrier if that ever happens," Hermione smirked at him. "My boyfriend should at least be useful to me if I'm wounded." Harry rolled his eyes at her. "Alright, stop. All your pacing is driving me crazy, honestly."

Harry sighed but plopped himself down on his bed. "I just want to leave here!"

"Madam Pomfrey will be here soon," Hermione reasoned before she strode towards him and sat down on his lap - eliciting a small "oof!" from him before he put his arms securely around her middle. "Isn't this much better?" She asked coyly and Harry snorted before he started placing small (and distracting!) kisses on her neck.

"I saw Viktor earlier today," Hermione told him as she tried to focus on anything other than the way his lips felt on her skin.

"Hmmm…?" Harry hummed inquisitively from the crook of her neck.

"He had news about Fleur." As soon as she said that Harry stopped his ministrations and turned serious.

"How is she?"

"She woke up on Tuesday and she says she'll have to stay at St Mungo's for the next three weeks. After that, she'll go to France for a couple of weeks to be with her family before she returns in Easter Break."

"Her parents weren't here for the task?" Harry asked bemusedly.

"No, Fleur told me that by the time they tried to get tickets for the tasks they were all sold out, though Madame Maxime allowed her sister to stay with the rest of Beauxbatons after Fleur's name came out of the Goblet. Viktor told me that her parents only learned about what happened to Fleur after the task happened and they're now with her at the hospital."

"That's good," Harry said with obvious relief in a way that broke Hermione's heart.

"Have you heard from Sirius recently?" Hermione asked softly.

"They sent me a letter a couple of days ago but I haven't replied, we agreed to meet up in Hogsmeade this weekend - you too for that matter." He squeezed her middle in a way that gave Hermione butterflies.

"I'll be there… we'll just have to tell the others that we want to go out on a date, it wouldn't really be a lie."

"Is that your attempt to _hint_ that we haven't gone on a date for a while?" Harry asked mirthfully.

"Well, you are extraordinarily thick when it comes to that." She retorted cheekily.

"Oi!" Hermione laughed at his outburst. "Should we tell them?" He continued seriously. "About the stone, the chamber, Sirius - everything?"

"I don't know…" Hermione nibbled her lower lip in thought. "I mean, if we're going to tell anyone - it should be them. I trust them."

"I do too,"

"But I'm not sure," Hermione continued. "For instance, Sirius and Remus' secret isn't actually ours to tell. It should be up to them who knows the truth. And it's not like they need to know what really happened with the stone and the chamber, it's not really something important that they need to know."

"I know, I just don't like lying to my friends," Harry said glumly.

"We're not lying, not really. If they ask us about the stone and the chamber we can tell them, but it's not like we're going to actively go out of our way to tell them what happened. It's not important anymore. And if you want, we can ask Sirius and Remus about telling them the truth about them."

"Alright," Harry nodded before he returned to her neck in a way that made her wish Madam Pomfrey would do whatever she was doing faster so that they could get out of there.

It wasn't until five minutes later that her wish finally came true and Madam Pomfrey stepped out of her office - clearly not pleased by their position. Hermione blushed slightly, but Harry seemed unrepentant and unwilling to let her off of his lap, even when she glared at him though if she was honest, she liked the feeling of being on his lap and had no plans on moving - much to the matron's displeasure.

"Alright, Mister Potter, you seem to be in good enough health and no longer need to be under my supervision."

"Thank Merlin for that," Harry mumbled and Hermione pinched the side of his stomach to shut him up.

"However, I still want you to continue taking these potions and applying the salve for at least the next two weeks. And you are to come here next Wednesday so that I can make sure you're doing better."

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey," Harry said with a tired sigh.

"Before you go, the Headmaster asked me to tell you he wishes to meet with you," She felt herself flinch and at the same time Harry grabbed onto her more tightly. "He's partial to acid pops."

"Thank you," Harry said in a strangled voice after a couple of seconds.

Madam Pomfrey nodded at the two of them before she went back to her office - leaving the two of them in silence. Neither of them said anything or even made a move to separate from their position, in fact - Harry seemed to be holding on to her like a lifeline and for her part. Hermione wasn't doing any better.

When she was introduced to the Wizarding World she quickly learned about Albus Dumbledore, the defeater of Grindelwald and the most powerful wizard alive - and not just powerful but also known for his kindness and for how he fought for doing the right thing rather than following the easy path. He had become an inspiration to her and if she was pressed to say, he was the main reason why Hermione wanted to be in Gryffindor rather than in Ravenclaw. But now? Now she couldn't think of Dumbledore without remembering her nightmares. He was the reason why she was down at the lake, even after everything he didn't think twice before putting her down there without even bothering to ask her or her parents if they were okay with it.

And it was not just Dumbledore, the other organizers, and probably the other teachers who allowed him to put her there. After knowing them for almost four years she had no idea how they didn't see anything wrong with kidnapping her and putting her down in the lake! She had never felt this betrayed before in her life - and worst of all she didn't think she could ever trust them or any other authority figure anymore. She had no idea how she could look at them without thinking back on how they abducted her without any shame or remorse.

It was only after five minutes of silence that she spoke up. "I-If you want I can take your potions to your room while you…"

Harry just nodded automatically but didn't say anything. Hermione gently slid off of his lap and finally got a look at him - he was staring at the wall in front of him with an expression she had never seen before on his face. She had seen Harry angry, she had even seen Harry completely pissed back at the Shrieking Shack. And yet, none of that compared to the anger that was clear on his face right now. It was completely different from his usual expressions of anger, this one was a cold, calculated, and ruthless hatred that was much scarier than any of the other times he had been angry.

And then he looked at her, his expression softened but the cold glint in his eye was still there, burning like an unconscionable fire. "I'll see you later?" He asked in a soft voice that was a complete oxymoron to the hatred he was radiating.

Hermione stared at him, not really knowing what to say before she just nodded and gave him a small smile. He stood up and she slowly walked towards him, putting her arms around his neck she pulled him closer and as his arms encircled her waist she captured his lips and poured all her affection for him into the kiss.

When they parted, they were breathless and his lips were swollen and cheeks flushed, his eyes however had lost some of their emptiness; though they were still dark; but Hermione rather preferred this darkness than the one she had seen earlier in those beloved eyes. She vowed to herself, no matter what she'd not let her Harry be lost to that darkness she saw lurking behind his eyes now. She'd love him enough to make sure he was never lost or lonely. She rather liked _her_ Harry like _this;_ something made him reach out to her again and she surrendered to his lips and arms willingly and wholeheartedly.

As the chime of a clock sounded from behind them, he released her and pecking her lips one last time bid her a farewell.

"I'll see you later."

Harry gave her a small smile before he purposefully strode out of the infirmary and as Hermione watched him leave, she was assaulted with a myriad of feelings - most of which she didn't even truly understand. She stopped herself. There was no use in losing herself in those feelings - if she focused too much on them, she would only make them worse. And so, as she packed all the potions and salves Harry would need, she focused completely on anything other than the empty feeling that was aching in her chest.

* * *

"Come in," Dumbledore's tired voice did nothing but feed the fire of rage he was currently feeling.

Harry steeled himself, trying to control his emotions before he stepped inside the room. After a few seconds, Harry opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door with just a touch more force than necessary before he took his seat in front of Dumbledore's desk. Harry had never seen the Headmaster look this tired, for the first time in his life Harry believed that Dumbledore was over a hundred years old. He hadn't looked this tired even when his name had come out of the Goblet of Fire. The twinkle in his eye was replaced by dark bags underneath them, his usually calm and kind demeanor was replaced by a drained expression.

Dumbledore looked like shit.

"How are you feeling, Harry?" The old man asked, but Harry didn't respond, opting instead for staring at him with an indifferent expression that masked his withering glare. Dumbledore gave a heavy sigh. "I realize that you are mad with me and-"

"I'm not mad, _sir_ ," Harry said coldly. "I'm way past that."

"Trust me when I tell you that I never wanted to include hostages for the Task, Harry. But I had no choice in that matter, but I did all I could to make sure that the hostages were as safe as they could be-"

"Oh, so it's my fault now?" Harry snapped. "Are you seriously going to quote Rita Skeeter to me and say that I was the one who put the hostages in danger when it was _**you**_ who kidnapped Hermione in the middle of the night!"

"I told you that I did everything in my power to keep the hostages safe. I told you to trust me on that Harry, I would never have let anything happen to the hostages and if you had done as I asked, no one would have been put in danger." Dumbledore said calmly.

"Yeah, it's not as if there were dozens of murderous creatures trying to kill us or anything," Harry snorted bitterly. "It's not as if Fleur is at St Mungo's right now because she almost died!"

"And while that is a tragedy, she was a champion - she knew what she had gotten into when she put her name in the Goblet of Fire. There were naturally more protections for the hostages than for the champions."

"That doesn't change anything. I told you - I _warned_ you what would happen if you even dared to think about putting Hermione down in the lake! I'm the one in this tournament, not her!" Harry glared at Dumbledore who had avoided looking at him in the eyes throughout the whole time he had been there.

"I didn't have any choice Harry," Dumbledore said quietly. "The Goblet of Fire isn't just the tool that chooses the champions, it's a powerful magical artifact that is at the center of the Triwizard Tournament itself. It's the Goblet that chooses the tasks, the obstacles, and yes… the hostages. The organizers and I were bound to make sure the hostages it chose were used for the task otherwise we would have died just like you would have if you hadn't participated in the tasks to the best of your abilities."

Harry gaped at the man, too angry to say anything but Dumbledore must have known what he was thinking.

"I didn't know that the second task would use hostages or that the Goblet itself would choose them. It wasn't until a few days after the first task that the Goblet chose the people to be placed at the bottom of the lake - all of us had assumed that an object would be taken away, that's why the riddle in the egg mentioned an 'it' instead of a 'them.'"

"You… you could have done it differently! You could've told me! Told her! Actually explained the situation! But you didn't! Instead, you abducted her and the other hostages in the middle of the night as if it was no big deal!"

"The organizers thought it best to not tell the hostages because that way they wouldn't know that they would be in danger. To them, they would have gone to sleep and then woken up when everything had passed. It seemed to be the most gracious option for everyone." Dumbledore said with a sincerity that irked Harry.

"No, it wasn't." He said icily. "Just because the hostages didn't know they were being kidnapped at the moment doesn't mean it didn't affect them. You violated their privacy and their safety by breaking into their dormitories and abducting them. Did you really think that they would just shrug that off and forget about it?"

"Harry-"

"Save it, Dumbledore," Harry said harshly as he stood up. "I _told_ you I would _**never**_ forgive you and I wasn't playing around. You had no right to put Hermione in danger like that! You had no right to just ask me to trust you and then kidnap her without even telling her about it! Or asking her parents for permission! Or even just explaining the situation to everyone!"

"Harry, we can't fight over this," Dumbledore said and for the first time, he looked alarmed. "You know better than anyone that Voldemort is out there and he's getting stronger by the day."

"And what have you been doing about it!?" Harry hollered at the Headmaster. "We still don't know who put my name in the tournament! We still don't know why Voldemort wanted me in the tournament if he didn't want to kill me! You told me that we don't even know where he is anymore!"

"And I've done everything I can to find answers, Harry - but it's not easy. There have been too many people involved in the tournament and any of them could have put your name in the Goblet. All three Ministries worked in tandem to organize the tournament and any of them could have confounded the Goblet and put your name in. Any reporter, teacher, or student that was in the castle on Halloween could have easily put your name in the Goblet. The Goblet could have even been confounded before it came to Hogwarts and then someone was imperiused to put your name in."

"And you didn't take any precautions!? If all these people came in contact with the Goblet how is it a surprise that someone managed to curse it!" Harry exclaimed.

"The Goblet of Fire is an old and incredibly powerful magical object - we never imagined that it could be confounded the way it was," Dumbledore said mournfully.

"Just like you didn't know that the Goblet would do something like choosing hostages! Did you even bother researching what the hell that thing did before reinstating the tournament!?" Dumbledore's silence spoke volumes. "I'm done," Harry chuckled bitterly as his eyes stung. "I'm done playing your games, I'm… I'm just done. I was entered into the bloody tournament and I took it with grace - took all the shit this has brought me. But you crossed a line by taking Hermione, that is something that I will never forgive and I will never forget. I'm stuck in this bloody tournament and Voldemort was the one who put me here - but _**I blame you**_! You were supposed to make sure nothing wrong happened! You were supposed to be the one to protect me! You were the one that should've dealt with Quirrell and the diary and Sirius - _**NOT ME!**_ "

Harry took a step back as Dumbledore gaped at him in a combination of shock and sorrow.

"Not me," His voice cracked as he said that.

Harry stared at Dumbledore, not knowing whether he should feel angry, disgusted, or upset - and as he looked at the Headmaster, the perfect image of Albus Dumbledore, the person Harry idolized the most in the Wizarding World, was completely and utterly destroyed.

* * *

" _Wormtail!" A cold high voice hissed loudly._

_No answer._

" _Wormtail!" The voice hissed threateningly._

" _He's not here, my Lord." A deep voice spoke and the man behind it appeared. He was a tall man with dark hair and cobalt eyes and was wearing expensive formal robes._

" _Ah, Thaddeus," The high voice coughed. "How are things on the outside, old friend?"_

" _Everything is going as planned, my Lord." The man said with an unnerving smile. "The volunteers have been chosen without anyone noticing them - they will be in place at the appropriate time."_

" _And what of the_ _ **safe house**_ _?" The voice said with a hint of amusement?_

_The man's unnerving smile turned into a full grin. "They're working on it right now, it should be done before Easter Break. Wormtail's there with them right now?"_

" _The rat?" The voice hissed menacingly._

" _Yes, my lord. He informed us he has a certain…_ _ **affinity**_ _for situations like that one and he wasn't lying. He's had some creative ideas and I'd be lying if I said that I'm not excited to see them in action. I have a feeling he will be useful in the future."_

" _We shall see if that rat proves himself to be worthy of more than just making sure this form is ready for the ritual." The doubt was clear in the voice's hiss and the man didn't seem eager to contradict him. "Tell me about the second task, Thaddeus."_

" _The brat survived - which is good for our plans, but since he didn't follow the appropriate rules during the task he ended up in third place and lost the overall lead."_

" _That is of no concern to us, I trust that my most faithful will come through in the end." A flash of irritation passed through the man's face but it was quickly masked. "And if not, he can simply make sure that the boy dies in the tournament and we go for our back-up plan. As much as I would love to torture Potter for days, my return is more important."_

" _Of course, Master." The man agreed emphatically. "I'll make sure to send word with our contact."_

" _Good," The voice hissed, pleased. "We are so close, old friend - so very close. Soon, everyone will remember why they feared Lord Voldemort… and_ _ **everyone**_ _will suffer!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Training, Sirius, and the final stretch before the Third Task.
> 
> Thank you for continuing reading, favouriting, and commenting! We're nearing the final arc of 4th year and I couldn't be more excited. If all goes well I should be able to pump out a new chapter per week but I make no promises.


End file.
